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Brady, Dillon lead Patriots to win over Raiders

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 01:49 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

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