TEAM NOTES
- Patriots score on two special teams plays – first time since 2010
- Patriots score over 30 points for fourth straight week
- Brady in a tie for third-most regular-season wins
- Brady still undefeated against Chicago
PATRIOTS SCORE ON TWO SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS FOR SECOND TIME IN BELICHICK ERA
The Patriots scored two touchdowns on special teams with a 95-yard kickoff return by WR Cordarrelle Patterson in the second quarter and a 29-yard return of a blocked punt by LB Kyle Van Noy in the third. It is the first game where the Patriots had two special teams scores since Oct. 4, 2010, at Miami when WR Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 103 yards for a score and CB Kyle Arrington returned a blocked field goal 35 yards for a touchdown. It is the fourth time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that the Patriots have had two special teams touchdowns in one game – Nov. 18, 1979, vs. Baltimore and Nov. 23, 1980 vs. Baltimore were the others.
PATRIOTS EARN FIRST ROAD WIN OF THE SEASON
Since the start of the 1994 season when Robert Kraft purchased the team, the Patriots have the best regular-season road record in the NFL. The victory over Chicago is the Patriots first road win of the 2018 season.
PATRIOT IMPROVE AGAINST THE NFC
The New England Patriots own a 52-14 (.788) record vs. NFC teams since realignment in 2002, the best inter-conference record in the NFL during that time.
PATRIOTS HOLD TEAMS TO ZERO POINTS IN NINE TWO-MINUTE DRILLS
Chicago failed to score in the final minutes of the first half and the second half. The Patriots defense has now held opponents to zero points in nine drives in the final two minutes of either half this season.
PATRIOTS SCORE 30 POINTS IN FOURTH STRAIGHT GAME
The Patriots scored over 30 points for the fourth straight game, the first time the Patriots have done so since 2015, when they went on a six-game run of 30 or more points. The franchise record for consecutive games with 30 or more points is 13 games, set from 2010-11. The Patriots have averaged 39.3 points over the last four games.
PATRIOTS SCORE 21 POINTS IN THE FIRST HALF FOR THE FOURTH STRAIGHT GAME
The Patriots scored at least 21 points in the first half for the fourth straight game, tying for the longest such streak in franchise history. The Patriots also scored at least 21 points in the first half in four straight games from Oct. 28-Nov. 22, 2012.
PATRIOTS HAVE RECORDED AN INTERCEPTION IN ALL SEVEN GAMES IN 2018
The Patriots defense has recorded an interception in all seven games of 2018 after rookie DB J.C. Jackson picked off QB Mitch Trubisky in the third quarter, the first time the team has done so in seven straight games since 2013 when they did it in eight consecutive games. The Patriots team record for most consecutive games with an interception 11 is when the 1985 team started the season with at least interception in the first 11 games of the season.
WICKED GOOD IN OCTOBER
The Patriots are an NFL-best 60-18 in the month of October since the 2000 season.
PATRIOTS PRODUCE 96-YARD DRIVE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
The Patriots had a 96-yard drive that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to James White in the fourth quarter. It is the longest Patriots drive since the 2015 Divisional Playoff vs. Kansas City when they had a 98-yard drive and the longest in the regular season since Sept. 18, 2011, vs. the Chargers when they had a 99-yard drive.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
BRADY REMAINS UNDEFEATED AGAINST CHICAGO
Chicago remains one of five NFL teams that Tom Brady has an undefeated regular-season record against.
BRADY TIES FOR THIRD-MOST REGULAR SEASON WINS
The victory over Chicago is Brady's 201 career regular-season win. He is now tied with Gary Anderson for the third-most regular season wins.
BRADY HAS THE MOST WINS BY A STARTING QB AFTER TRAILING BY 10 POINTS SINCE 2000
Brady led the Patriots back from a 17-7 deficit in the second quarter for his 32nd victory after trailing by 10 points (including the postseason). Peyton Manning has the second most with 26 victories.
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON HAS SIXTH CAREER KICKOFF RETURN FOR A TD;
FIRST AS A MEMBER OF THE PATRIOTS
WR Cordarrelle Patterson had his sixth career kickoff return for a touchdown after he returned a second-quarter kick 95 yards for a touchdown. It is his first as a member of the Patriots and the first for a Patriots player since RB Dion Lewis had a 103-yard return at Denver on Nov. 12, 2017.
PATTERSON'S SIX KICKOFF RETURNS ARE TIED FOR THIRD MOST ALL-TIME
Patterson's six kickoff return touchdowns are tied for third most all-time, behind Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington with eight. Patterson, Mel Gray, Dante Hall, Ollie Matson, Gale Sayers and Travis Williams all also have six.
WHITE ON RECORD-SETTING PACE
RB James White's 45 receptions for the year after catching eight against Chicago and is on pace to finish the season with 103 receptions, which would be the NFL record for a running back. Eight NFL running backs have finished a season with 90 or more receptions.
RB JAMES WHITE LEADS ALL RUNNING BACK IN TD RECEPTIONS SINCE 2015
RB James White scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from QB Tom Brady in the second quarter and a 2-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It marked his 17th and 18th receiving touchdown since 2015, the most by a running back in the NFL during that time.
WHITE SETS CAREER HIGH FOR TD RECEPTIONS IN A SEASON
White now has six touchdown receptions for the season after catching two against Chicago to set a single-season high. His previous best was five touchdown receptions during the 2016 season. White is the fourth running back since the merger in 1970 with at least six touchdown catches in his team's first seven games of a season, joining Joe Cribbs (1983), Gary Anderson (1986) and Ahmad Bradshaw (2014), each of whom had six.
WHITE HAS SECOND CAREER 2-TD GAME
White had his second career two-touchdown game in the regular season. He also caught two touchdowns vs. Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2016.
WHITE IS THE FIRST WITH 45-PLUS CATCHES AND SIX TDS IN FIRST 7 GAMES
White is the first running back all-time with 45 catches and six touchdown catches in his team's first seven games of a season.
EDELMAN MOVES PAST TERRY GLENN FOR EIGHTH PLACE ON THE PATRIOTS ALL-TIME LIST
WR Julian Edelman caught five passes for 36 yards and moved past Terry Glenn into 8th place on the Patriots all-time receiving yards list.
WR JULIAN EDELMAN SCORES FIRST PATRIOTS POINTS OF THE DAY;
PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 16-0 WHEN EDELMAN SCORES (INCLUDING POSTSEASON)
WR Julian Edelman scored the Patriots first points of the day on a 9-yard touchdown pass from QB Tom Brady. Since 2014, the Patriots have a record (including postseason) of 16-0 when Edelman has at least one touchdown in a game.
WR JOSH GORDON HAS HIS FIRST 100-YARD GAME
WR Josh Gordon had his 11th career 100-yard receiving game and his first with the Patriots after finishing with four receptions for 100 yards. Gordon is the 29th different player to have a 100-yard receiving game in a game Brady has started. Only Drew Brees (30) has more.
PATRIOTS RETURN A BLOCKED PUNT FOR A TD;
FIRST TIME SINCE 1996 AND FIRST IN 354 GAMES
LB Dont'a Hightower blocked a third quarter punt that was returned 29-yards for a touchdown by LB Kyle Van Noy. It is the first time that the Patriots blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown since Ted Bruschi returned a punt 4-yard for a touchdown at Baltimore on Oct. 6, 1996. It was the first blocked punt for Hightower and the first touchdown for Van Noy.
ROOKIE DB J.C. JACKSON HAS SECOND INTERCEPTION OF THE SEASON
Rookie DB J.C. Jackson recorded his second interception of the season when he intercepted a QB Mitch Trubisky pass in the third quarter. He had his first interception in the win vs. Miami on Sept. 30.
LINEUP NOTES
DL MALCOM BROWN RETURNS TO ACTION
DL Malcom Brown returned to action after missing the Kansas City game due to injury and was back in the starting lineup.
OL LAADRIAN WADDLE MAKES HIS SECOND START OF THE SEASON
OL LaAdrian Waddle made his second start of the season at right tackle in place of the injured Marcus Cannon. He made his first start of the season at Detroit on Sept. 23.
OL TED KARRAS PLAYS IN FIRST GAME AT SOLDIER FIELD;
GRANDFATHER TED KARRAS HELPED LEAD BEARS TO 1963 CHAMPIONSHIP
OL Ted Karras saw action on special teams against Chicago and had the opportunity to play at Soldier Field for the first time as a pro, where his grandfather, Ted Karras helped lead the Bears to the 1963 World Championship.
OL COLE CROSTON SAW HIS FIRST ACTION OF THE 2018 SEASON
OL Cole Croston saw his first action of the 2018 season.
