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Patriots overcome injury to Brady, top Chiefs

Sun 7th, September 2008

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - Randy Moss had six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown as New England overcame an early injury to quarterback Tom Brady to escape Kansas City, 17-10, in the season-opener for both clubs at Gillette Stadium.

Brady was 7-of-11 for 76 yards before departing the game with a left knee injury midway through the first quarter. Backup Matt Cassel was solid over the remainder of the contest, throwing for 152 yards and one score on 13-of-18 passes.

"I don't have any update on Tom," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. "They are looking at him and doing some tests on him, so we will see how that turns out. But I don't have any information on him."

Brady is scheduled to undergo and MRI on Monday.

However, the Boston Globe and several other sources said that Brady suffered a torn serious anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

Sammy Morris added 53 yards and a TD on 10 carries for the Patriots (1-0), who finished 16-0 a year ago but fell to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

New England extended its NFL record by winning its 20th consecutive regular- season game dating back to a 21-0 loss at Miami on December 10, 2006.

Brodie Croyle completed 11-of-19 passes for 88 yards before leaving late in the third quarter with a shoulder injury for the Chiefs (0-1), who ended the previous campaign at 4-12.

"Croyle has a separated shoulder right now, so we'll see the extent of it once we do the MRI," said Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards.

Damon Huard threw for 118 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-12 passes. Dwayne Bowe picked up five receptions for 49 yards and a TD, while Larry Johnson rushed for 74 yards on 22 carries.

After holding the Chiefs on the first drive of the second half, the Patriots cashed in on their first possession. Morris rolled in from five yards out with 3:01 to play in the third, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive for a 14-3 advantage.

Croyle departed due to injury and Huard took over on the following drive, which saw the Chiefs march 63 yards in 10 plays. Huard hit Bowe with a rocket for a 13-yard TD pass and a 14-10 game with 13:06 left in regulation.

The teams were ineffective from there, until Huard was picked off by Ellis Hobbs with 7:21 to play, giving New England the ball at its own 47. A methodical drive followed, eating up almost five minutes and ending on Stephen Gostkowski's 37-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining.

Huard then hit Devard Darling over the middle for a 68-yard catch-and-run to the Patriots' five with under a minute to go. The first try for Bowe in the end zone fell incomplete, then Johnson rushed for no gain. Huard was nearly picked off on third down, then on fourth down Bowe was tied up by Deltha O'Neal at the right side of the end zone for another incompletion.

Cassel took a knee with the turnover on downs to run out the remaining seconds and New England escaped with the victory.

The Pats' first two drives were marred by lost fumbles. On the first, Wes Welker caught a Brady pass but Patrick Surtain forced a fumble in Chiefs territory recovered by Jarrad Page. Kansas City did nothing on the ensuing possession, though.

On the second, Brady left the field after completing a pass to Moss, who coughed up the ball inside the red zone.

Brady was hit on the left knee on the play by safety Bernard Pollard and had to leave the game. The Chiefs' ensuing drive stalled on the Pats' 43, and after a punt pinned the home team at their own two, Cassel took over.

"Things happen but I can't do anything but send my prayers out to him," Pollard said. "He's a competitor and tough guy. As soon as I heard him scream, I knew something was wrong. That's something you don't want to see happen to another competitor."

Cassel hit Moss with a 51-yard pass on 3rd-and-11 from inside the one at the end of the first quarter, and later in the drive, Morris rumbled for 22 yards down to the Chiefs' 12. Three plays later, Cassel found Moss in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard score and 7-0 lead 3:15 into the second.

"I thought that was a big play coming off the goal line," Belichick added of Cassel's throw. "He hit Moss. That was right in front of me. I got a good look at that one."

The Chiefs finally got going on their last drive of the first half. Tight end Tony Gonzalez caught four balls for 40 yards to help his club, and Nick Novak's 40-yard make with 17 seconds to play brought KC within 7-3.

Game Notes

Kansas City leads the all-time series 16-12-3, but New England has won four of the last five meetings ..For Moss, it was his 125th career touchdown catch, and his 24th with the Patriots...New England fullback Kevin Faulk was inactive, serving a league-mandated one-game suspension for marijuana possession...Gonzalez led KC with six catches for 55 yards...The Patriots take on Brett Favre and the New York Jets at the Meadowlands next Sunday, while the Chiefs host Oakland also next Sunday.