Tom Brady threw for 302 of his 447 passing yards in a 30-point first-half explosion and the New England Patriots rebounded from a season-opening loss to Kansas City with a 36-20 rout of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Brady completed only 16 of 36 passes in a 42-27 opening loss to the Chiefs, but he connected on 19 of 25 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as New England (1-1) raced to a 30-13 lead and coasted to the win over the Saints, who fell to 0-2. Brady finished 30 of 39 for 447 yards.
It was the first time in Brady's career -- spanning 273 games, including the playoffs -- that he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter. He hit three different targets: running back Rex Burkhead for 19 yards, tight end Rob Gronkowski for 53 and wide receiver Chris Hogan for 13.
Drew Brees (27 of 44 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) tried to keep the Saints close, connecting with Brandon Coleman on a 5-yard fade that began a 10-point comeback in the second quarter and cut New England's lead to 20-13. But the Patriots responded by scoring 10 points in the final 4:47 of the half and put the game away.
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