Vintage performance from Patriots
Brady throws for 3 TDs, reaches 500 for career in 38-24 win over Colts
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On a night when he reached 500 career touchdown passes, Tom Brady welcomed back a buddy with one of his three scoring tosses Thursday, then connected with a newcomer who could help him reach more milestones.
Brady also snuck in for a rushing TD and the New England Patriots put together their second straight win after a mediocre start to the season, beating Indianapolis 38-24.
Brady’s 500th went to Josh Gordon, recently acquired from Cleveland, where he basically was unavailable through suspensions for all but five games over the past three seasons.
Brady spread the wealth, hitting running back James White 10 times for 77 yards, and greeting the return of buddy Julian Edelman by completing seven for 57 yards to him.
“We wanted to get him the ball and he made some great plays,” Brady said of Edelman. “Just good to have him out there. We all want it to be perfect when we go out and it was great to have him out there . . . healthy and having fun.”
As for 500 TD passes, third on the career list behind Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508), Brady called it a collective mark.
“All these things like that, milestones, there are so many people that contribute, all the people that have really worked hard,” he said. “A quarterback doesn’t throw to himself. These are all great team awards, pretty cool.”
The five-time NFL champion also tied Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, a former teammate, for most victories with 226. Brady finished 34-for-44 for 341 yards.
Brady started off with a pass to Edelman, who was wide open for nine yards. That drew the first of many loud cheers for the 10th-year veteran receiver in his first game since the 2017 preseason, when he tore up a knee. Edelman was suspended for the first four games this year for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers.
“During the rehab, you are just sitting there and waiting to get back on the field,” Edelman said. “It felt great to be out there with the guys.”
That was the first of three receptions for 28 yards for Edelman on the opening 75-yard touchdown drive that Brady capped with a one-yard toss to Cordarrelle Patterson .
Nothing was going right for Indianapolis, particularly after Brady led a 72-yard march to his sneak from the one-yard line. Then he took the Patriots 68 yards near the end of the half and hit workhorse White for a six-yard score to lead 21-3.
In defeat, Andrew Luck did extend his string of games with a touchdown pass to 28 by hitting Eric Ebron on a 14-yarder in the third quarter.