National Football League
New England 38, Cincinnati 24
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 12, 2010
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Temperature: 62°
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 68756

Tom Brady set about earning his big new contract with 258 yards and three touchdowns to lead the New England Patriots to a 38-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener on Sunday.

Wes Welker made his return from a knee injury with a pair of touchdown catches and Brandon Tate returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Patriots, who have won seven consecutive home openers.

Brady, who signed a four-year extension that could pay him as much as $18 million per season earlier in the week, found his favorite target Welker on New England’s first drive for a 9-yard score.

Stephen Gostkowski added a 32-yard field goal later in the first and Brady found Welker again with 8:58 left in the half, hitting him over the middle to push it to 17-0.

The Patriots’ defense got into the act next when Gary Guyton intercepted Carson Palmer’s pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.

Tate took some more wind out of the Bengals when he opened the second half with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that extended the edge to 31-3.

Cincinnati got back into it with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, but Brady found rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski midway through the fourth for another touchdown to make it a three-score game.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cincinnati   New England
Cedric Benson Player Fred Taylor
15 Attempts 14
43 Yards 71
2.9 Avg Yards 5.1
1 Touchdowns 0
10 Long 24
Receiving
Cincinnati   New England
Chad Johnson Player Wes Welker
12 Receptions 8
159 Yards 64
13.2 Avg Yards 8.0
1 Touchdowns 2
28 Long 12
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cincinnati 428 87 341 3 1 0 0.0 0
New England 376 118 258 5 1 1 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • New England will play their next game on the road against N.Y. Jets. The Patriots have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Cincinnati will play their next game at home against Baltimore. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.