FLASH RECAP:
Tom Brady passes for two touchdowns and the New England defense shuts down Oakland in the second half as the Patriots beat the Raiders in the 2005 NFL season opener on Sept. 8 before an announced crowd of 68,756 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
Brady's scoring passes to Deion Branch (18 yards) and Tim Dwight (5 yards) help New England build a 17-14 lead at intermission. The Patriots pull away in the second half as Corey Dillion scores on 8- and 5-yard runs.
New England commits no turnovers and allows no sacks in winning its 21st consecutive home game.
Kerry Collins throws TD passes to Courtney Anderson (2 yards) and Randy Moss (73 yards) in the first half as the Raiders stay close to the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. But in the second half, Oakland has only 131 total yards and one TD (Anderson's 5-yard catch) against New England.
The Raiders defense holds the Patriots to 73 rushing yards, but it doesn't have any sacks or turnovers.
Collins is 18-of-40 passing for 265 yards and three TDs, but his third-quarter interception leads to a Patriots' TD. After starting the game 4-for-4 passing for 61 yards, Collins completes only 14 of his final 36 attempts for 204 yards and 2 TDs.
Oakland has 16 penalties for 149 yards compared to only seven penalties for 46 yards for New England.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
QB Tom Brady -- Is 24-of-38 passing for 306 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions.
DT Richard Seymour -- His pass rush helps force a Kerry Collins interception during the third quarter. The turnover leads to Corey Dillion's 8-yard TD run. Seymour finishes with a team-high 8 tackles (6 solo).
RB Corey Dillon -- Rushes for 2 TDs on 8- and 5-yard runs. Dillion finishes with 63 rushing yards on 23 carries.
WR Deion Branch -- Has 7 receptions for 99 yards and a TD.
TE Courtney Anderson -- Has TD catches of 2 and 5 yards.
WR Randy Moss -- Burns the New England defense on a 73-yard TD reception in his Raiders debut. Moss finishes with 5 catches for 130 yards.
LB Kirk Morrison -- Contributes a game-high 10 tackles (6 solo). The rookie from San Diego State helps the Oakland defense hold New England to 73 rushing yards
KEY STAT:
Take away his 73-yard TD catch, and the Raiders' Randy Moss has only 4 receptions for 57 yards.
TURNING POINT:
Vince Wilfork's interception of a Kerry Collins pass in the third quarter gives the Patriots possession at the Raiders' 20-yard line. As Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green pressure Collins, Collins loses the ball, which falls into Wilfork's hands. Three plays later, Corey Dillon runs 8 yards for a TD to boost New England's lead to 23-14 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
BY THE NUMBERS:
16: Oakland penalties for 149 yards. The Patriots have 7 penalties for 46 yards.
21: Consecutive home victories by the Patriots.
49-14: Tom Brady's win-loss record as the Patriots' starting quarterback.
58: Rushing yards for Oakland's LaMont Jordan in the first half on 14 carries. He finishes with 70 yards on 18 carries.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders DT Warren Sapp
"They don't win 20 in a row (at home) for no reason. They play the game fundamentally sound, don't make too many mistakes, and we made too many. It's as simple as that."
"Richard (Seymour) is so disruptive. He's the best defensive lineman in the league."
Patriots QB Tom Brady
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Raiders are 1-10 in their last 11 season openers on the road. Their only win was a 27-24 victory at Kansas City in 2001.
The Raiders are the first team in 31 games to score a an opening-drive TD against the Patriots.
Oakland's Randy Moss (18) out-runs New England's
Rodney Harrison (37) on a 73-yard TD reception.
