Patriots-Dolphins Week 1 News, Notes & Fun Facts
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots welcome the Miami Dolphins to Gillette Stadium on Sunday to kick off the 2021 season. WBZ-TV's Levan Reid brings you all you need to know about Sunday's tilt.
- This marks the second straight season that the Pats will open up at home against the Dolphins, and the fifth consecutive second that the Pats will begin kickoff weekend at home.
- New England has 35 wins on kickoff weekend, which is third-most in the AFC.
- The Patriots and the Dolphins have split their season series in each of the last four seasons.
- Including the postseason, this will be the 112th meeting between the two teams. Miami leads the all-time series 57-54, with the Patriots 2-1 in their playoff meetings.
- Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 26-16 against Miami.
- Belichick owns 18 wins on kickoff weekend, the most of any active coach in the NFL.
- If the Patriots win on Sunday, it will be the franchise's 557th victory overall. That is the third-most in the NFL since the club was founded in 1960.
- The Patriots are 102-1 all time at Gillette Stadium when leading at halftime during the regular season.
- If the Pats win, they will earn their 557th victory overall. That's the third most in pro football since the club began playing in 1960.
- Mac Jones will be the first rookie quarterback to start Week 1 for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe did so back in 1993. Jacoby Brissett was the last rookie QB to start a game for the Patriots in 2016.
- This will be Matthew Slater's 14th season with the Patriots. He is the longest tenured player on the roster.
- James White has caught 25 touchdowns during the regular season, which is second among Patriots running backs. Larry Garron is atop the leaderboard with 26 touchdown receptions.
- J.C. Jackson has 17 interceptions since 2018, the second-most in the NFL during that span.
- The Patriots have had a rookie free agent make the roster in 18 straight seasons, with kicker Quinn Nordin earning those honors this year.
- The Patriots have 24 players on the 53-man roster who did not play a game with the team in 2020.
- Between the two rosters, there are 10 players that were once teammates at the University of Alabama.
- Dolphins rookie tight end Hunter Long attended Boston College.
Tune in to Patriots-Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 12 on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots! Coverage begins Wednesday night with Patriots 1st Down at 10:30 p.m. on TV38 and continues Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m. on WBZ! Our opening day coverage begins with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m., the Patriots and the Dolphins kick off at 4:25 p.m., and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!