Amongst his different data, Tom Brady has the doubtful distinction of showing in a file 4 NFL season-openers. Brady, contemporary off of his seventh Tremendous Bowl win, is slated to make his fifth season-opening begin when the league kicks off its 102nd season on Thursday, Sept. 9. This will likely be his first of such video games as a member of the Buccaneers, who’re slated to grow to be the primary defending champion within the salary-cap period to convey again every of their 22 starters. 

Here is a take a look at how Brady fared in his earlier 4 season-openers. 

September 9, 2004: Patriots 27, Colts 24 

Followers had been handled to a basic duel between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. In a back-and-forth contest, the Colts loved two early leads earlier than three consecutive scores gave the Patriots a 27-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However after Manning’s second landing go of the evening reduce the Colts’ deficit to 3 factors, Indianapolis’ protection made two large stops whereas giving its offense the ball again with 1:43 left. 

After a 45-yard completion from Manning to Brandon Stokley acquired the Colts contained in the Patriots’ 20-yard-line, a sack by Willie McGinest pressured the Colts to aim a 48-yard area objective. Foreshadowing the 2005 playoffs, Mike Vanderjagt missed his first area objective try in 42 tries. The Patriots held on for his or her sixteenth straight win; the streak would finally attain 21 video games earlier than the Patriots had been defeated by a rookie quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. The Patriots would go on to defeat the Colts and Steelers within the AFC playoffs en path to a win over the Eagles in Tremendous Bowl XXXIX. 

September 8, 2005: Patriots 30, Raiders 20  

This one began and ended with Kerry Collins landing passes to Courtney Anderson. In between, Tom Brady threw two landing passes, Corey Dillon ran for 2 extra and the Patriots coasted to a 10-point victory. Brady was an environment friendly 24-of-38 passing for 306 yards. His favourite goal, reigning Tremendous Bowl MVP Deion Department, caught 7 of 11 targets for 99 yards that included an 18-yard landing that gave the Patriots the lead for good. 

Whereas a largely forgettable season-opener, this was the debut for Randy Moss in a Raiders uniform. After a highly-successful seven-year run with the Vikings, Moss — who switched from No. 84 to No. 18 — caught 5 of 15 targets for 130 yards that included a 73-yard landing in his Raiders debut. Two years later, Moss caught 9 passes for 183 yards in his Patriots debut. Moss served as an integral a part of the Patriots’ 2007 staff that may not lose an everyday season sport. 

September 10, 2015: Patriots 28, Steelers 21 

A lot of the pre-game hype for this contest was targeted on ESPN’s story uncovering the depths the Patriots’ “Spygate” controversy. Outdoors distractions did not dampen the Patriots’ fourth banner unveiling. It additionally did not cease the Patriots from placing one other “L” on the Steelers, New England’s vanquished foes in two earlier convention title video games. Two early landing passes from Brady to Rob Gronkowski helped the Patriots soar out to a 21-3 lead. Gronk’s one-yard landing catch within the fourth quarter stretched the Patriots’ result in 28-14. 

Brady riddled the Steelers’ protection to the tune of 288 yards and 4 touchdowns on 25-of-32 passing. The Steelers countered with Ben Roethlisberger’s 351 passing yards that included 133 yards and a landing to Antonio Brown. Pittsburgh, who additionally acquired 127 speeding yards from DeAngelo Williams, had been the victims of two missed area objectives by Josh Scobee, who was finally reduce and changed by Chris Boswell a number of weeks later. The Steelers, to the chagrin of coach Mike Tomlin, additionally suffered headset malfunctions. 

“That is all the time the case,” Tomlin mentioned about having headset points in New England. “We had been listening to the Patriots’ radio broadcast for almost all of the primary half on our headsets.” 

Neither staff might decelerate the Broncos, who ousted each Pittsburgh and New England within the playoffs en path to defeating the Panthers in Tremendous Bowl 50. 

September 7, 2017: Chiefs 42, Patriots 27

Brady’s solely NFL season-opening loss, the Patriots fell sufferer to a breakout first sport by then-Chiefs operating again Kareem Hunt. A 3rd-round decide within the 2017 draft, Hunt rushed for 148 yards and landing and likewise caught 5 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. His first landing, a 3-yard go from Alex Smith, reduce the Chiefs’ deficit to 17-14 at halftime. Down 27-21 in the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hunt’s 78-yard catch and run gave Kansas Metropolis the lead for good. Hunt’s 4-yard landing run with 5 minutes left gave the Chiefs somewhat extra respiratory room, whereas Charcandrick West’s 21-yard landing run with 4 minutes left put the sport on ice. 

Whereas Hunt was the star of the evening, Brady (who did not throw a landing go towards the Chiefs’ protection) and the Patriots would lose simply two extra video games through the 2017 common season. They might finally advance to their second of three consecutive Tremendous Bowls, a 41-33 loss to the Eagles. In defeat, Brady would throw for a Tremendous Bowl single-game file 505 yards.