Some notables:
Brady threw for 306 yards, just the ninth time in his career that he has thrown for more than 300 in a regular-season game. And his 105.8 rating gives New England a perfect 27-0 record when his passer rating tops the century mark.
Deion Branch, who didn't play during the preseason, pulled down a team-high seven passes for 99 yards. Only once last year did he have more than seven receptions in a game -- the Super Bowl, when he was named Most Valuable Player with 11 catches for 133 yards. In fact, the seven catches ties for the second-most by Branch in a regular-season game.
Troy Brown had six receptions (for 51 yards), more than a third of the total he managed a year ago while sharing time with defensive back Troy Brown. The last time Brown had six catches in a regular-season game was Oct. 19, 2003.
Benjamin Watson matched his career total with two catches -- on one drive. The second-year tight end played in only one game before a knee injury cost him the remainder of the 2004 season.
An offensive line that should only get better throughout the season did not allow a sack, despite Brady's 38 pass attempts. Only once last season (at Buffalo) did Brady not get sacked in a game.
Offseason addition Tim Dwight, here more for his punt-return ability than pass-catching skills, even added a touchdown grab, just the 15th of his eight-year career.
And consider also that the Patriots' passing attack was not at full strength against Oakland. Because of injuries to Bethel Johnson and Andre' Davis, just four of the six wideouts on the roster were active for the contest.
Yet the Patriots, who made inquiries about adding then-free agent Peerless Price a week before the season, clicked anyway. Much of the credit goes to Brady, who was very sharp early on, and was one of only two NFL signal callers (with St. Louis's Marc Bulger) to throw for more than 300 yards on the first weekend.
Brady seemed to shred the Raiders surgically, with the individual completions coming in tidy groups.
