</p> NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-0) vs. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-2) Sunday, October 28, 2007 -- Gillette Stadium (68,756) -- 4:15 p.m. EDT</p> The Patriots are 7-0 for the first time in team history and return to Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon to face the 4-2 Washington Redskins. New England's top ranked offense will face a tough test against the NFL's fifth-ranked defense, a Redskins unit that is allowing just 14.7 points per game. Additionally, the Patriots will face a team that they have not defeated in more than 35 years, having lost six straight games to Washington dating back to 1972. The Redskins will make their first regular-season visit to Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots own a 21-4 record against first-time visitors and a 39-9 overall record since the venue opened in 2002.</p> </p> PATRIOTS VS. NFC The Patriots have been dominant against NFC teams in recent seasons, compiling a 24-4 (.857) record against the conference since 2001, including a run of eight straight victories dating back to 2005. New England's record over that span includes three Super Bowl victories over NFC teams. The Patriots' 33-30 victory over the Chicago Bears on Nov. 10, 2002 began a streak during which the Patriots have won 20 of their last 22 games against NFC competition, going 20-2 (.952) over that span. Last season, New England was 4-0 against the NFC, defeating the four NFC North teams by a combined score of 111-41. In their lone game against NFC competition this season, the Patriots defeated the Dallas Cowboys 48-27 on Oct. 14.</p> SWEET SEVENTEEN The Patriots have won each of their seven games this season by at least 17 points, setting an NFL record for consecutive victories by 17 points or more to begin a season. New England has won by 24, 24, 31, 21, 17, 21 and 21 points this season, eclipsing the mark achieved by the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who won their first six games by 17, 28, 28, 22, 28 and 31 points.</p> BROADCAST INFORMATION</p> TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by Fox. The game can be seen in Boston on WFXT-TV Channel 25. Kenny Albert will handle play-by-play duties with Troy Aikman providing analysis. Pam Oliver will report from the sidelines.</p> RADIO: WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 33 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 31st season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 24th season as a tandem.</p> NATIONAL RADIO: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by the Sports USA Radio Network. Eli Gold and Tim Pernetti will call the game.</p> SERIES HISTORY The Patriots will square off against the Redskins for the eighth time in the regular season and for just the third time since 1990. The Redskins have won the last six games in the seven-game series. Four of the Redskins' six straight wins have been decided by five points or fewer, including the last meeting, a 20-17 Washington victory at FedEx Field on Sept. 28, 2003. The Redskins will make their first regular-season visit to Gillette Stadium and will make their first Foxborough appearance since 1996, when the Patriots dropped a 27-22 decision at Foxboro Stadium. Despite the regular-season unfamiliarity between the teams, the Redskins are the Patriots' most frequent preseason opponent. The teams have played 19 times in the preseason, most recently in 2006 when the Patriots claimed a 41-0 victory at Gillette Stadium. New England holds a 12-7 lead in the preseason series and the Patriots' 12 preseason wins over Washington are the most over any opponent.</p> PASSING PERFORMANCES The Redskins are the only NFL team against which Tom Brady does not own a victory as a starting quarterback. Brady is scheduled to start against the Redskins for the second time in his career, and the Patriots dropped a 20-17 decision in his only previous start against Washington on Sept. 28, 2003. In that game, Brady completed 25-of-38 passes (65.8 percent) for 289 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions for a 73.2 passer rating. Washington starter Jason Campbell has never faced the Patriots.</p> IT'S BEEN A WHILE The Patriots have not defeated the Redskins since 1972 and have lost six consecutive games to Washington. After the Redskins, the team against which the Patriots have their longest victory drought is the New York Giants, a team that they last defeated in 2003. The Patriots' six-game losing streak against Washington is their longest current losing streak against any opponent. The Patriots' next longest losing streak to an opponent is three games (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos).</p> PATRIOTS vs. NFC EAST The Patriots will play each of the four NFC East teams this season as part of the NFL's schedule rotation. In addition to this week's game, the Patriots defeated Dallas 48-27 on Oct. 14, will host Philadelphia (Nov. 25) and will travel to play the New York Giants (Dec. 29). The last time New England faced all four NFC East teams in a season was in 2003, when the Patriots compiled a 3-1 record against the division. New England holds an all-time combined regular-season record of 11-22 against the four NFC East teams - Dallas (3-7), New York Giants (4-3), Philadelphia (3- 6) and Washington (1-6).</p> CONNECTIONS </p> <ul>[*]Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was raised in Annapolis, Md. [*]Redskins wide receiver Reche Caldwell spent the 2006 season with the Patriots before being released prior to this year's training camp. He was the Patriots' leading receiver in 2006 with 61 receptions for 760 yards and four touchdowns. Caldwell attended the University of Florida with current Patriots wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. [*]Patriots guard Logan Mankins and Redskins safety Vernon Fox were teammates at Fresno State in 2001. [*]Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson and Redskins defensive tackle Kedric Golston both played at Georgia from 2002-03. [*]Patriots cornerback Randall Gay and Redskins safety LaRon Landry were teammates at Louisiana State. [*]Seven former University of Miami players are members of the Patriots and Redskins: Patriots defensive lineman Santonio Thomas, defensive back Brandon Meriweather, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss, linebacker Ricky McIntosh, running back Clinton Portis and safety Sean Taylor. [*]Redskins offensive lineman Mike Pucillo played with Patriots running back Heath Evans from 1998-2000 at Auburn. Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington was also on the squad from 1998-99. [*]Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel and Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs spent four years on the same Ohio State defense. [*]Patriots tackle Ryan O'Callaghan and Redskins defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander were on the same University of California team from 2002-03. [*]Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson and Redskins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd were four-year teammates at Illinois. [*]Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears is a native of Suffolk, Va. and twice earned all-state honors at John Yates High. Fears's coaching career began at William and Mary, where he served as a graduate assistant after earning three letters as a running back. Fears also spent time as the receivers and quarterbacks coach during his four years there. [*]Patriots coaching assistant Bill O'Brien coached running backs at the University of Maryland from 2003-04. [*]Patriots Strength & Conditioning Coach Mike Woicik was born in Baltimore, Md. [*]Patriots area scout Jim Nagy spent the 2002 season as the West Coast regional scout for the Redskins. [*]Patriots assistant athletic trainer and director of rehabilitation Joe Van Allen served as the sports physical therapist at Virginia Tech prior to joining New England. [*]Patriots fullback Kyle Eckel attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. [*]Patriots wide receiver Kelley Washington is originally from Stephens City, Va. [*]Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs is the nephew of former Redskins defensive lineman William Gaines. Gaines also played professionally for the Miami Dolphins. [*]Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo has spent time visiting injured military personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. [*]Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson's father, Ken, played linebacker for the University of Maryland. Watson was born in Norfolk, Va. [*]Redskins pro scout Terry Ray played for the Patriots for four seasons (1993-96) and appeared in Super Bowl XXXI. [*]Redskins quarterback Todd Collins is originally from Walpole, Mass. and currently lives in North Quincy, Mass. Collins, who grew up an avid Patriots fan, participated in an executive education program at the Harvard Business School in 2005. [*]Two Redskins players have participated in NFL-sponsored initiatives at the Harvard Business School: Quarterback Todd Collins and defensive lineman Demetric Evans have both taken advantage of the NFL's continuing education programs. [*]Patriots tackle Nick Kaczur and Redskins punter Shaun Suisham are both from Ontario, Canada.[/list] FIRST TIME VISITORS The Redskins will make their first regular-season appearance at Gillette Stadium, becoming the 26th different opponent to travel to the Patriots' state-of-the-art facility for a regular-season or playoff game. New England holds an all-time record of 21-4 against first-time visitors to Gillette Stadium and has won 17 of its last 18 games against teams making their inaugural appearance there. Following this week's game, only five clubs have not yet appeared at Gillette Stadium for a regular-season or playoff game (Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Philadelphia and St. Louis). The Patriots and Redskins have played once at Gillette Stadium in the preseason.</p> NFL RECORDS SET OR TIED IN 2007</p> Team Records </p> <ul>[*]Most consecutive victories by 17 points or more to begin a season (7).[/list] QB Tom Brady </p> <ul>[*]Most victories in first 100 starts in the Super Bowl Era (76, tied with Roger Staubach). [*]Most consecutive games with three or more TD passes to begin a season (7 games from 9/9/07 to Present). [*]Most touchdown passes in first seven games of a season (27). [*]Most touchdown passes in first six games of a season (21). [*]Most consecutive games with completion pct. of 75% or higher in a single season (4 games from 9/9/07 to 10/1/07). [*]Most completions in first 100 passes of a season (79). [*]Most touchdown passes in a game since 1970 AFL-NFL Merger (6 on 10/21/07; tied with 11 others) [*]Highest single-game passer rating (perfect 158.3 rating, 10/21/07; 17th time since 1970).[/list] WR Randy Moss </p> <ul>[*]Most consecutive 100-yard receiving games to begin tenure with a team (4 games from 9/9/07 to 10/1/07). KR Ellis Hobbs [*]Longest play in NFL history (108-yard kickoff return, 9/9/07).[/list] LB Junior Seau </p> <ul>[*]Oldest player to record two or more interceptions in a game (38 years old, 10/7/07).[/list] 2007 HONORS AND AWARDS </p> Head Coach Bill Belichick </p> <ul>[*]Motorola NFL Coach of the Week (Wk. 6)[/list] QB Tom Brady </p> <ul>[*]AFC Offensive Player of the Month (Sept.) [*]AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 3) [*]AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 6) [*]FedEx Air Player of the Week (Wk. 6)[/list] KR Ellis Hobbs </p> <ul>[*]AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Wk. 1)[/list]
Ho hum, another game, another fierce rectal pounding. It's getting rather dull (outside watching the suffering of Olphins fans).
