Following the tumultuous "Summer of Deflategate," one could have assumed that New England Patriots (3-0) quarterback Tom Brady would enter the 2015 season with a vengeance.
The four-time Super Bowl champion has done just that, leading his defending-champion squad to its third victory in a row Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a 51-17 slaughtering of the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2), completing an astounding 33 of his 42 pass attempts for 358 yards and a touchdown, including the 400th of his career.
Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount broke out for 78 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in his second game following suspension while tight end Rob Gronkowski hauled in four passes for 101 yards, wide receiver Julian Edelman grabbed eight passes for 85 yards, and wideout Danny Amendola caught five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
On the Jaguars side, second-year quarterback Blake Bortles completed 17 of his 33 attempts for 242, two touchdowns, and one interception. Wide receiver Allen Hurns led the team with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on two catches, while wideout Allen Robinson hauled in four passes for 68 yards. Rookie running back T.J. Yeldon struggled on the ground, churning out just 33 yards on 11 carries.
New England controlled the pace of the game throughout, garnering 35 first downs to Jacksonville's paltry 15, racking up 471 yards to the Jaguars 293, and holding possession of the ball for 34:40.
The Patriots grasped control of the contest from the beginning, driving 64 yards in their first five offensive plays for an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Dion Lewis with 11:55 remaining in the first quarter. After a Jaguars punt, Brady orchestrated yet another scoring drive, ushering New England 62 yards in 10 plays leading to a 46-yarder by kicker Stephen Gostkowski to put the Patriots up 10-0.
Jacksonville rebounded with a 17-play drive leading to a Jason Myers 40-yarder. However, the Patriots responded by traveling 78 yards on 14 plays to set up Gostkowski for a 20-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 13-0.
The following possession altered the course of the game, as Bortles, throwing on 2nd-and-5 from the NE 45-yard line, threw a deep ball down the middle intended to tight end Mercedes Lewis right into the hands of Patriots safety Devin McCourty for an interception, returned to the NE 43-yard line.
New England then dug the Jaguars into a coffin, garnering 57 yards on eight plays in just 1:29, their drive concluding in a two-yard touchdown connection between Brady and Amendola to end the first half.
With the touchdown pass, Brady became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach 400-career passing TDs, joining the esteemed company of Brett Favre, Dan Marino, and Peyton Manning.
The Patriots picked right where they left off to begin the first half, driving 52 yards in 10 plays on their first possession of the third quarter to set up Gostkowski for a 46-yarder before consecutive pass interference penalties on Jacksonville set up a one-yard rushing touchdown by Blount to give New England a 30-3 lead on Brady & Co.'s second drive of the half.
A 59-yard touchdown connection between Bortles and Hurns on a 3rd-and-6 lessened the Jaguars deficit to 30-10, but the Patriots responded on their ensuing possession, as a 17-yard run by Blount set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brady to newly acquired receiver Keshawn Martin which upped the gap to 37-10.
After a turnover on downs by Jacksonville, the merciless Patriots struck again, with a 17-yard pass from Brady to tight end Scott Chandler, setting up a one-yard touchdown by Blount. Following a three-and-out by the Jaguars, it wasn't long before Blount reached the end zone yet again from one yard out, with New England spending 9:47 on a lengthy 17-play, 58-yard drive to take a 51-10 lead.
A six-yard receiving score by tight end Clay Harbor brought Jacksonville to within 51-17. However, it was not enough to quell the joyous laughter from Patriots fans as they exited Gillette Stadium celebrating yet another dominating win.