Tom Brady, NE Patriots Break Records in 59-0 Rout of Titans

In a record-setting 59-0 rout of the Tennessee Titans in snowbound Foxborough, Massachusetts, QB Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rewrote the record books, including an NFL-record five touchdowns for Tom Brady in the second quarter alone.

It was the kind of day at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts in which high scoring on the gridiron seemed an unlikely scenario. Snow had begun to fall an hour before game time, and the field was already slippery and layered with snow before the first kickoff at 4:15 PM EST. Yet as the NFL Game Center and Boston Globe reported post-game, today's match-up between the 3-2 New England Patriots and the winless 0-5 Tennessee Titans would go into the record books even before halftime. The first quarter ended with the Patriots leading by a 10-0 score, courtesy of a field goal and a touchdown run by Patriots RB Lawrence Maroney. But it was in the second quarter that Tom Brady and the Patriots would break their first of many scoring records by completing five unanswered touchdowns before the half, an NFL record for touchdowns in a single quarter. Assisted by three Titans turnovers (two fumbles and one interception), Brady threw two touchdown passes each to wide receiver Randy Moss and slot man Wes Welker and another to running back Kevin Faulk to give the Patriots a 45-0 halftime lead, the most points for any NFL team in the first half since 2002. In total, the Patriots would set or tie nine NFL or franchise records in today's game. Brady would finish the game with a career-high and franchise-tying six touchdowns and 380 yards before being replaced by rookie QB Brian Hoyer on the Patriots' second drive in the third quarter. The Patriots would finish the game with a 59-0 drubbing of the hapless Tennessee Titans, who are now 0-6 for the first time since 1984 when the then-Houston Oilers went 0-10 to open the season. The final score set many new franchise records for the New England Patriots: the largest shutout, highest-scoring game, most offensive yards (619) and the largest victory margin since 1976. 40-year-old linebacker Junior Seau, brought back from retirement by the Patriots this past Monday after LB Adalius Thomas was injured, had two tackles and a fumble recovery. In the loss, the Titans committed five turnovers, three in the second quarter alone. On the injury front, Patriots running back Sammy Morris was injured in the first quarter and did not return to the game. Likewise for Titans running back LenDale White, who was carted off the field in the second quarter. With a Jets loss to the Buffalo Bills earlier today, the Patriots now stand alone atop the AFC East Division at 4-2.