Tom Brady, who went 18-22 for 273 yards and 3 TDs, was outgunned by Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford in St. Louis' 37-36 win on Thursday.
The Rams #1 overall pick, QB Sam Bradford, got his first career start in Thursday’s preseason meeting with the Patriots and didn’t disappoint, outdueling New England’s star QB Tom Brady in a high-scoring 36-35 St. Louis victory.
The rookie out of Oklahoma looked “poised and precise,” according to the Associated Press, finishing 15-22 for 189 yards and 2 TDs. Bradford, along with back-up QB Thaddeus Lewis, uplifted the usually lowly Rams offense, which put up 462 total yards and recorded 30 first downs on Thursday.
“It was a blast out there tonight,” Bradford said. “I had fun. I was used to doing what I was doing — moving the offense up and down the field.” Rams coach Steve Spagnolo said he “has to watch the film again” but it’s clear Bradford made a good case for the starting spot come the team’s Sept. 12 opener vs. Arizona.
Despite suffering their first loss of the preseason, the Patriots first-team offense put up another impressive statistical performance. Brady played nearly the entire game and maintained his stellar early form, connecting on 18 of 22 passes for 273 yards and 3 TDs. WR Randy Moss, 3 receptions for 74 yards, hauled in a 64-yard bomb from Brady and rookie TE Rob Gronkowski pulled in 2 TDs himself, finishing with 3 receptions for 66 yards. WR Wes Welker, 2 catches for 41 yards, continued his remarkable comeback from last season’s knee injury, playing much more significant time than in last week’s win vs. Atlanta,
However, St. Louis dominated ball possession (a staggering 43:46 minutes to New England’s 16:14) and out of the Pats’ 11 drives, only 4 went for 10+ yards. “We didn’t do well on anything,” coach Bill Belichick said of his team, who didn’t record a first down until only 3:10 was left in the first half.
The Rams’ strong offense showing also deflated a young New England defense that was flying high after two stalwart performances in the team’s first two preseason matches. “They were able to move the ball at will,” S James Sanders said. “It was demoralizing.”
The Patriots started well out of the gates, as Brandon Tate ran the opening kickoff back 97 yards for a TD, but the Rams proceeded to scored 17 unanswered points before stretching their lead to 27-14 in the middle of the third quarter. New England battled back to take a 35-27 lead thanks to three-straight scoring drives, but surrendered another TD to Rams RB Keith Toston and K Josh Brown iced the game with a 37-yard FG as time expired.
The Patriots final preseason test comes on Sept. 2 when the team travels to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.