Brady, Dillon lead Patriots to win over Raiders

By Mike Shalin

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Reuters) – Tom Brady threw for
306 yards and two touchdowns and Corey Dillon ran for two
scores Thursday night as the defending champion New England
Patriots opened the NFL season with a 30-20 victory over the
Oakland Raiders.

The win was the 21st straight at home for the Patriots and
raised New England’s record over the last 39 games to 35-4.

After the Patriots raised their championship banner, the
Raiders grabbed leads of 7-0 and 14-10 before the Patriots went
ahead to stay with just under five minutes left in the second
quarter.

Brady threw first-half touchdown passes of 18 and five
yards, to Deion Branch and Tim Dwight, respectively, and
finished 24-of-38 in his ninth regular-season 300-yard game.

“There was a lot of excitement coming into game,” said
Brady. “We were preparing all summer long for this team. We’ll
take the win.”

Said Patriots coach Bill Belichick: “I thought Tom did a
good job managing the game, especially opening night where you
know you’re going to get a couple of different (defensive)
looks. He showed a lot of poise.”

Belichick wasn’t as pleased with mistakes made by his team,
the normally sound Patriots getting both an extra point and a
punt blocked.

“It’s going to catch up with us,” he said.

Added Brady: “I’m glad we’re not peaking in week one. It’s
going to be a long season, which we all realize.”

Oakland coach Norv Turner tipped his cap to the Patriots,
saying, “We played a very good football team. There’s a reason
why they’ve won (21) straight here.”

Dillon, held to 11 yards on his first 11 carries, ran eight
yards for a touchdown to give New England a 23-14 lead with
5:05 left in the third quarter and then scored from two yards
out in the fourth quarter.

His first score came after the Patriots took over at the
Oakland 20 when Jarvis Green hit Oakland quarterback Kerry
Collins, popping the ball up into the air and into the hands of
defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.

Collins had a rough night but still registered three TD
passes, two to Courtney Anderson. Collins was 18-for-40 for 265
yards.

Punter Josh Miller twice pinned Oakland inside its own
5-yard line in the third quarter. But the Patriots didn’t cash
in until Wilfork’s first career interception. “That was
probably the key play of the game,” said Brady.

The Raiders, riddled by 149 yards in penalties, went ahead
7-0 by becoming the first team in 37 games to score on an
opening drive against New England.

Anderson capped the six-play, 72-yard drive with a 2-yard
TD reception just 3:09 into the game.

Adam Vinatieri’s 26-yard field goal and Branch’s touchdown
catch put New England ahead — but Randy Moss, playing his
first game with the Raiders, made a juggling catch of a long
Collins pass and ran the rest of the way for a 73-yard score.

The controversial Moss caught five passes for 130 yards but
also had two crucial drops on third-down plays deep in his own
territory in the third quarter.

The Patriots were playing their first game after the
departure of both their offensive and defensive coordinators
and several key members of their championship team.