The New England Patriots recorded their 10th win of the season against the Chargers on Sunday, which gives them 12 straight 10-win seasons. Since the merger, only one team has posted a longer such streak (16 straight by the San Francisco 49ers from 1983 to 1998). Here are the top stats to know following the Patriots' win.
1.Tom Brady recorded his 64th career 300-yard passing game and passed Dan Marino for the third most in NFL history. Brady is 46-7 career in December games. That's the best record of any quarterback with at least 20 December starts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He kept his cool against the blitz and went 7-of-11 for 110 yards and a touchdown against five or more pass rushers.
2.Rob Gronkowski caught a touchdown pass from Brady, which gives him 10 on the season. This marks his fourth season with at least 10 touchdown catches. That's the most for a tight end in NFL history.
3.Philip Rivers was 2-of-10 on passes traveling more than five yards downfield Sunday. Rivers’ two completions on such throws were the fewest he has had in a game since he became a full-time starter in 2006. Rivers is 0-6 all time in head-to-head matchups with Brady (including playoffs).
4.The Chargers' 216 total yards were their second fewest in a game this season. It appears 300 yards is the benchmark for San Diego, which is 8-1 when gaining at least 300 yards of offense and 0-4 when failing to reach 300 yards.
5.Julian Edelman’s 69-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was the longest catch of his career. Sunday marked Edelman’s first 100-yard receiving game of the season. He had four such games in 2013.