TEAM NOTES
- Patriots improve to 3-0 road recordÂ
- Gunner Olszewski had three 20-yard returns; first Patriots player to have three 20-yard returns in a game since Troy Brown in 2000.Â
- Adrian Phillips has first career two-interception game and returns second pick for his first career touchdown.Â
- Nick Folk kicks four field goals in a game for third time in 2021
- Jakobi Meyers scores on a 2-point play for third time in his career.
PATRIOTS ARE PERFECT ON THE ROAD IN 2021
The Patriots improved to a 3-0 record on the road in 2021. The team has finished undefeated on the road twice (2007 and 2016). 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.Â
BEST ROAD RECORDS SINCE 1994
Team W L T Pct
New England 135 84 0 .616
Pittsburgh 122 96 1 .559
PATRIOTS EXTEND NFL RECORD TO 94 STRAIGHT GAMES SCORING IN FIRST HALF
The Patriots have gone 94 straight games (regular season and postseason) scoring in the first half, to extend an NFL record, following Damien Harris' 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Patriots also own the second-longest streak at 82 games with a first half score (2006-11). The last time the Patriots failed to score in the first half was a 16-0 loss at home against Buffalo on Oct. 2, 2016.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
GUNNER OLSZEWSKI GOES LONG THREE TIMES
Gunner Olszewski had three 20-yard punt returns with a 20-yard return, a 21-yard return and a 27-yard return. The last NFL player with three punt returns of 20 or more yards in a single game was Nyheim Hines of Indianapolis on Dec. 22, 2019 vs. Tennessee. The last New England player to do so was Troy Brown on Sept. 11, 2000 at the New York Jets.
ADRIAN PHILLIPS HAS FIRST CAREER PICK SIX
DB Adrian Phillips picked off a fourth quarter pass from Chargers QB Justin Herbert and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. It is Phillips' first career touchdown. It is the Patriots first interception returned for a touchdown since DB Devin McCourty returned a pick 43 yards for a touchdown at Seattle on Sept. 20, 2020.
PHILLIPS HAS FIRST CAREER TWO-INTERCEPTION GAME
Phillips finished with two interceptions. He also picked off Herbert in the second quarter.
FOLK CONNECTS ON FOUR FIELD GOALS; THIRD TIME IN 2021 HE HAS DONE SO ON THE ROAD
Nick Folk connected on all four of his field goal attempts (24, 48, 46, 30). It is the third time in 2021 and all of them happened on the road. He connected on all four attempts at Houston on Oct. 10 and at the New York Jets on Sept. 19.
HARRIS SCORES IN FOURTH STRAIGHT GAME
RB Damien Harris finished New England's first offensive drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. He has scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games. The Patriots record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown is seven by Curtis Martin. Harris now has six rushing touchdowns in 2021.
JAKOBI MEYERS HAD HIS THIRD TWO-POINT PLAY
WR Jakobi Meyers converted a two-point play when he caught a pass from Mac Jones in the fourth quarter. It is his second two-point play of the 2021 season and third overall. He converted one vs. Dallas on Oct. 17. He also converted on a two-point play at Buffalo on Nov. 1, 2020.
NELSON AGHOLOR HAS LONGEST RECEPTION AS A PATRIOT
WR Nelson Agholor and QB Mac Jones connected on a 44-yard pass on New England's first possession His previous long with the Patriots was a 30-yard pass from WR Jakobi Meyers in the fourth quarter vs Tampa Bay on Oct. 3. It is Agholor's 15th career reception of 44 or more yards. The play helped set up a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Damien Harris.
MAC JONES HAS THIRD-MOST PASS COMPLETIONS FOR A ROOKIE THROUGH FIRST 8
Mac Jones completed 18 passes against the Chargers and now has 192 completions through his first eight games, the third-most by any rookie through his first eight games.
MOST COMPLETIONS BY A ROOKIE IN THE FIRST 8 GAMES
Player Completions
Joe Burrow 221
Justin Herbert 201
Mac Jones 192
Andrew Luck 190
MATT JUDON FINISHED WITH 1 ½ SACKS
Matt Judon finished with 1 ½ sacks. It is his third game in 2021 with more than one sack. He had 2 ½ sacks vs. New Orleans on Sept. 26 and 2 sacks at Houston on Oct. 10.
LINEUP NOTES
- LB Dont'a Hightower returned to the starting lineup after missing the Jets game due to injury.Â
- LB Calvin Munson made his debut in a New England uniform. He spent parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons on the New England practice squad and was signed by the Patriots to the 53-man roster from the Miami practice squad earlier in the week.
