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Patriots Lead Colts in NFL Season Opener

Posted on: Thursday, 9 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

FOXBORO, Mass. - The New England Patriots opened defense of their second Super Bowl title in three years by taking a 3-0 lead over the Indianapolis Colts after the first quarter Thursday night.

Adam Vinatieri kicked a 32-yard field goal on the game's first series, and Tedy Bruschi stopped a Colts drive on the next series by intercepting Peyton Manning's pass at the Patriots 1-yard line.

The opening game of the NFL season followed an hour-long show, headlined by Elton John, at Gillette Stadium that was telecast live.

New England took a 15-game winning streak, including the regular season and playoffs, into the game. The NFL record is 18 straight victories held by five teams.

The Patriots were 14-2 last season, then beat Tennessee in a divisional playoff game and the Colts in the AFC title game, 24-14. Manning threw four interceptions in that game and dropped to 2-8 against the Patriots and 0-5 in Foxboro, where he has thrown seven touchdown passes and 16 interceptions after Bruschi's pickoff.

Indianapolis was 12-4 last season and scored at least 400 points for the fourth time in five years.

The Patriots opened the game with a 48-yard drive in which they didn't use any running backs and all nine plays were passes by Tom Brady. They settled for Vinatieri's field goal with 10:09 left in the first quarter.

On the next series, the Colts marched from their 28 to a first down at the New England 6. The big play was Manning's 42-yard completion to Reggie Wayne to the Patriots 16.

But three plays later, Bruschi made a diving interception and returned the ball to the 6 after Ty Warren pressured Manning.

The Patriots punted on their second possession, giving the Colts the ball at their 37. They moved to a first down at the Patriots 19 when the quarter ended.

The Patriots have won 11 straight at home, in the regular season and playoffs, and allowed just 68 points there in the last regular season - an NFL record for an eight-game home schedule.

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