Pre-Sunday AFC East Team Facts – Patriots

BILL BELICHICK

• Bill Belichick (210) moved past Hall of Famer Chuck Noll (209) into fifth place all-time on the NFL wins list with the Patriots 30- 27 win against New Orleans. Curly Lambeau is in fourth place with 229 career wins.
• Belichick (18) needs one more postseason victory to tie Don Shula (19) for second place in postseason wins. Tom Landry (20) is in first place.
• Belichick has five conference titles and needs one more to match Don Shula, who led his teams to six Super Bowls.
• Belichick has led the Patriots to 12 consecutive winning records (2001-12). He is tied with Curly Lambeau (12 – 1921-32) for third all-time. The NFL record is 20 by Tom Landry (1966-85) followed by 14 by Curly Lambeau (1934-47).

TOM BRADY

• Tom Brady has 54 career 300-yard games and ranks fifth all- time for most 300-yard games and third among active players.
• Brady (34) reached 30 touchdown passes in 2012 for the third straight season and became just the fifth player in NFL history with at least 30 touchdown passes in four seasons overall.
• Brady (4,827) reached 4,000 passing yards in 2012. He is just the fifth player in NFL history to reach 4,000 yards in five or more seasons: Peyton Manning (12), Drew Brees (7), Dan Marino (6) and Brett Favre (6).
• Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history to have thrown for at least one touchdown pass in each game for three consecutive seasons (2010-12).
• Brady had 401 completions in 2012 for the second straight season and joined Drew Brees (5), Peyton Manning (2) and Matthew Stafford (2) as the only NFL quarterbacks with at least two 400 completion seasons.

ROB GRONKOWSKI

• Rob Gronkowski (10 touchdowns in 2010 and 18 in 2011) became the first tight end in NFL history with three straight 10- plus touchdown seasons after reaching 11 for the season in 2012. Gronkowski and Antonio Gates (13 in 2004 and 10 in 2005) are the only tight ends to have back-to-back 10-plus touchdown seasons.
• Gronkowski joins Randy Moss (2007, 2008 and 2009) and Corey Dillon (2004, 2005, 2006) as the only Patriots with three straight 10-plus touchdown seasons and three 10-plus seasons overall.
• Gronkowski has 38 receiving touchdowns and 39 touchdowns overall (38 receiving and 1 rushing) since 2010. The 38 receiving touchdowns are the second most in the NFL in that time span, behind Calvin Johnson (39), and the 39 overall touchdowns are third, behind Arian Foster (49) and Adrian Peterson (45).
• Gronkowski has 38 touchdowns in just 44 games. He can become the fastest to 40 touchdowns. Antonio Gates currently holds the record after reaching 40 touchdowns in 71 games.

ROB NINKOVICH

• Rob Ninkovich has 10 fumble recoveries over the last four seasons (2010-13), the most of any player in the NFL over that time. Vince Wilfork is second with seven.

STEVAN RIDLEY

• Stevan Ridley rushed for 1,263 yards in 2012 and will be looking to become the third Patriots player with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, joining Jim Nance (1966-67) and Curtis Martin (1995-97).
• Ridley scored 12 touchdowns in 2012 and will look to become the fourth running back in team history with back-to-back 10- plus touchdowns in a season, joining Corey Dillon (2004, 2005, 2006), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2010, 2011) and Curtis Martin (1995, 1996).

Next Up – The New York Jets