Holy Mother of Pearl - Brady passes for 517 yards, 4 TDS

Holy Mother of Pearl - Brady passes for 517 yards, 4 TDS

517 is the 5th-highest total in NFL history and the highest of the century.

And it's not like the Pats have no running game. They also rang up 106 yards on the ground.

It was not exactly a defensive struggle. The losing Dolphins also put up 488 yards from scrimmage. Those two teams are now #1 and #2 in the NFL in total offense, (and therefore occupy the last two slots in total defense). I don't know if their offenses are that good, their defenses that bad, or a combination of both.

The Pats and the Packers, arguably the two best teams in the game, are now 2nd worst and 3rd worst in total defense, because the Pack allowed the Saints to roll up 477 yards, just a hair below the 488 allowed by the Pats. The Dolphins, obviously, are worst in total defense by a long shot. They would be the worst even if New England had never run a running play! Brady's 517 passing yards, excluding the rushing yardage, were more than any other team put up in total offense. Add in the rushing yardage, and the Dolphin defense is about 30% worse than the next worse team. It just ain't so sweet to face Brady in week one.