Patriots extend record streak
FOXBORO, Mass. – Bill Belichick let a rare smile crease his face before reminding his New England Patriots what their record winning streak meant.
“He said, ‘Congratulations on the streak, great job. Now we’ve got to think about Seattle,’ ” safety Rodney Harrison said.
At least their dour coach, who downplayed the streak all season, gave the Patriots some time to savor their NFL record 19th straight win, 24-10 over the winless Miami Dolphins on Sunday, before they start preparing for their next game against the Seahawks.
“It doesn’t mean anything right now because we are still in the middle of the season,” cornerback Ty Law said in a very quiet locker room. “The fruit will taste a little bit sweeter if we can give ourselves an opportunity to play for another championship.”
The Patriots (4-0) won with two touchdown passes by Tom Brady, who had his worst statistical start as a pro, and two turnovers by offensively inept Miami.
The Dolphins trailed 24-10 before reaching the New England 1-yard line on their last series. But quarterback Jay Fiedler hurt his ribs and back on a 12-yard sack, and two plays later, A.J. Feeley suffered a concussion as he threw a fourth-down incompletion and was hit by Rosevelt Colvin.
This Miami team is nothing like the one that no longer shares the record with five other teams. That one went 17-0 in 1972 and won its opener in 1973.
“As a player, you don’t think about what (the Patriots) are doing,” Miami defensive end Jason Taylor said. “We’ve got our own things to worry about.”
The Dolphins fell to 0-5, matching their worst start as an expansion team in 1966, when they won their sixth game.
New England, which can match its franchise best 5-0 start next Sunday, had shared the 18-game record with Chicago in 1933-34 and again in 1941-42; Miami in 1972-73; San Francisco in 1989-90; and Denver in 1997-98.
“They’re some great teams and it’s nice to be a part of that,” linebacker Tedy Bruschi said, but “during the season the only milestone that teams want is the Super Bowl.”
The Patriots played without injured receivers Deion Branch and Troy Brown, and another one, Bethel Johnson, was inactive. But they led 10-0 on Brady’s 1-yard pass to Daniel Graham in the first quarter and Adam Vinatieri’s 40-yard field goal early in the second.
Still, Brady finished at 7 for 19 for 76 yards and an interception.
“We didn’t do the things we set out to do,” tackle Matt Light said of the offense. “Defense helped us out a lot.”
If the Patriots beat Seattle, they’ll tie the mark of 17 consecutive regular-season wins by the Bears in 1933-34. And if they beat the New York Jets the following Sunday, they’ll break that record, too.
But the players weren’t thinking about that – not when Belichick actually acknowledged the 19-game record by shaking their hands on the sideline.
“He rarely celebrates anything,” Harrison said, “and to lead a team to 19 victories in a row is something to be proud of.”