FOXBORO, Mass. — Welcome back, Tom Brady.
After a subpar start to the 2014 NFL season, Brady and the New England Patriots came out firing Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, finding the end zone on each of their first two drives.
Brady’s fifth pass of the evening — a 27-yard strike to tight end Rob Gronkowski — earned the quarterback a spot in the NFL record books. The completion pushed Brady past the 50,000-passing yard plateau for his career, making him just the sixth quarterback to reach the mark.
Brady added to that total one play later, hooking up with tight end Tim Wright on a 17-yard touchdown completion to put the Patriots up 14-0.
Brady completed five of six passes over New England’s first two drives for 98 yards and one score. He also got the job done with his legs, rushing three times for 10 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Stevan Ridley.
Photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
