Day of records for Brady, Gostkowski
QB throws 400th TD of storied career; kicker boots 425th PAT in row.
Tom FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — Brady and Stephen Gostkowski picked up some more milestones. The New England Patriots picked up another lopsided win.
Brady threw for two touchdowns, including the 400th of his career, to help the defending Super Bowl champions run away from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 51-17 victory on Sunday. LeGarrette Blount had three 1-yard TD runs, and Gostkowski delivered the extra point on all six New England TDs to run his streak to an NFL record 425 in a row.
“That takes a lot of games, a lot of snaps to do that. That’s certainly a tribute to both of them, the durability, longevity, consistent production they’ve had,” coach Bill Belichick said. “They had a good day, as they’ve had in many, many days throughout their career. I feel really fortunate to have those guys on my team.”
After a summer dominated by talk of deflated footballs, the Patriots (3-0) opened with victories over Pittsburgh and Buffalo and then proved they weren’t looking past the overmatched Jaguars (1-2). Brady became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 TDs, and he added his 401st, a 13-yard pass to Keshawn Martin late in the third quarter.
By that time, it was 37-10 and the Patriots were heading into their bye week with a perfect record.
And when it was over, Brady had completed 33-of-42 passes for 358 yards while leading New England to scores on all nine of his drives.
“I don’t care whether we throw it in or run it in,” Brady said. “As long as we’re scoring points and winning, it’s fun for me.”
Rob Gronkowski caught four passes for 101 yards, Blount ran for 78 yards, and Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 85 yards. Gostkowski, who’s led the NFL in points for each of the past three seasons, added three field goals.
It was the most points ever allowed by the Jaguars (1-2), who had two injured defensive backs inactive for the game and lost three more during it.
By the end, cornerback Peyton Thompson — who wasn’t drafted out of college and has been cut six times in two seasons — was playing safety. Nick Marshall, an undrafted rookie who played quarterback at Auburn, was at cornerback.
Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles finished 17 for 33 for 242 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Allen Robinson had nine catches for 68 yards, but the Jaguars gained just 57 yards on 20 running plays.