The New England Patriots head into the bye week with a 5-2 record following a 35-7 win over Tampa Bay last Sunday in the Patriots' first appearance in the NFL's International Series of regular-season games at Wembley Stadium in London.
New England is off to a 5-2 start in 2009 and has now started the season with at least five wins in their first seven games for the fourth straight season.
Head Coach Bill Belichick will conduct practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday before giving the team the weekend off. The team will return to work next week to begin preparing for a home game against the Miami Dolphins on November 8 at Gillette Stadium.
PRO BOWL BALLOTING BEGINS
NFL Pro Bowl balloting begins this week and runs from Oct. 26 through Dec. 22. Fans may vote for their favorite NFL players to represent the AFC and NFC in the 2010 Pro Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 31 at the site of the Super Bowl in South Florida. Fans may vote online at http://nfl.com/probowl or on Web-enabled mobile phones by going to NFL.com. The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third towards determining each conference's 43-man roster. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Dec. 22-23. The Pro Bowl teams will be announced at 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 29 in a Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.
STRONG IN THE SECOND HALFThe Patriots have traditionally stepped things up a notch as the calendar has flipped to November. Since 2001, New England has done a remarkable job of finishing the season strong, compiling a 70-17 (.821) record after Nov. 1, including playoff games. Additionally, since 2001, the Patriots are 52-10 (.839) in games played after Thanksgiving Day and are 23-4 (.852) in games played after Christmas.
| AFC East Standings | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA |
| Patriots | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 198 | 98 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 152 | 104 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 113 | 138 |
| Miami Dolphins | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 146 | 152 |
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
MILESTONE APPROACHING
4
The number of field goals K Stephen Gostkowksi needs to take over fourth place on the Patriots' all-time field goal list.
11
The number of touchdown receptions Randy Moss needs to become the second player in NFL history with 150 receiving touchdowns. Moss can join Jerry Rice (197) as the only players in NFL history with 150 receiving touchdowns. In 11 seasons, Moss has 139 touchdown receptions.
14
The number of receptions WR Randy Moss (886) needs to become the 10th player in NFL history to surpass 900 career receptions.
26
The number of 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady. He needs one more to break a tie with Drew Bledsoe(26) for the team-lead in 300-yard passing games.
128
The number of rushing yards RB Kevin Faulk (3,264) needs to pass Don Calhoun (3,391 yards) for fifth place on the Patriots' all-time rushing list.
234
The number of yards WR Randy Moss needs to become the seventh player in NFL history to reach 14,000 receiving yards. Moss is in ninth place all-time with 13,766 yards.
1180
The number of passing yards QB Tom Brady(28,478) needs to pass Patriots' all-time leader Drew Bledsoe (29,657).
PATRIOTS HALL OF FAME
1
The number of contributors in the Patriots Hall of Fame after Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft inducted William H. "Billy" Sullivan, the team's founder this year.
2
The number of Patriots Hall of Famers who also won League MVP honors (Gino Cappellettiin 1964 and Jim Nancein 1966).
4
The number of Patriots Hall of Famers who are also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (John Hannah, Andre Tippett, Mike Haynes and Nick Buoniconti).
14
The number of players in the Patriots Hall of Fame following the induction of former RB Jim Nance.
STREAKING
8
The number of consecutive seasons in which the Patriots have won nine or more regular-season games. They are the only team in the NFL to have won at least nine games in each of the last eight seasons entering 2009.
19
The number of consecutive regular-season games the Patriots have won when a New England player has a 100-yard rushing game. The last time New England lost a game in which one ofits runners broke the 100-yard mark was on Dec. 20, 2004, when the Patriots lost 29-28 at Miami despite a 121-yard effort by Corey Dillon.
19
The number of consecutive home games won by Tom Brady.
165
The number of consecutive home games the Patriots have sold out. The streak includes every preseason, regular-season and playoff game since the 1994 regular-season opener.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
14
The number of times QB Tom Brady has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, after earning the award for his 378- yard passing effort in the Patriots' come-from-behind 25-24 win on opening week vs. Buffalo and for a 6 TD effort vs. Tennessee.
26
The number of NFL running backs that have reached at least 400 career receptions after RB Kevin Faulk caught two passes against Tampa Bay to reach 400 receptions.
49
The number of 100-yard games by RB Fred Taylor, which ranks ninth in NFL history.
62
The number of 100-yard receiving games by WR Randy Moss, which ranks second in NFL history to WR Jerry Rice's76 100- yard receiving games.
212
The number of touchdown passes QB Tom Bradyhas in his career. He is tied for 21st on the all-time list with Terry Bradshaw and and Y.A. Tittle.
THE KRAFT ERA
3
The number of Super Bowl championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraftpurchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Only Denver (2; 1997 and 1998) and Pittsburgh (2; 2005 and 2008) have won multiple Super Bowl titles since 1994.
5
The number of conference championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh has won three conference titles since 1994.
17
The number of playoff games the Patriots have won since Robert Kraftpurchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh ranks second with 15 playoff wins over that span.
24
The number of playoff games the Patriots have appeared in since 1994. The mark is the highest in the NFL, ahead of the 23 games played by Pittsburgh.
THE BELICHICK ERA
4
Bill Belichick is one of just four head coaches to win three championships since the Super Bowl era began following the 1966 season. Coach Belichick joins three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the exclusive club (Chuck Knoll 4, Joe Gibbs 3, and Bill Walsh 3). Belichick is the only coach to win three Super Bowls in the post-1993 salary cap era.
8
The number of consecutive home-opening wins in Belichick's nine Patriots seasons.
102-33
The Patriots' regular-season record since 2001 under Head Coach Bill Belichick. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won 75.4 percent of their regular-season games, recording the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that span.
121
The number of wins Coach Belichick has recorded since becoming Patriots head coach in 2000, including the post season.
