APWith the game scoreless, Brady was hurt when Pollard hit him low as he heaved a 28-yard completion to Moss. But Moss fumbled the ball away.
Cassel was impressive on his first possession, starting at his 2. With a third down at the 1, he threw a 51-yard completion to Moss.
“We had them deep into their territory,” defensive tackle Glen Dorsey said, “but they made a good play.”
Eight plays later, Cassel and Moss hooked up for a 10-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
It was Moss’ 126th touchdown, tying Jim Brown for eighth most overall, and 125th on a reception, tying him for fourth in NFL history.
The Chiefs cut the lead to 7-3 on a 40-yard field goal by Nick Novak with 17 seconds left in the half.
Cassel led another impressive drive, covering 80 yards in which he completed all four passes. Sammy Morris ended it with a 5-yard scoring run for a 14-3 lead.
The injury marred the Patriots season opener for the second straight year.
They won 38-14 at the Jets in last year’s first game, then were punished by the NFL after an employee was caught filming the Jets’ defensive signals. Belichick was fined $500,000; the team was fined $250,000, and the Patriots also lost a first-round draft choice.
“For Week 1, you never know what to expect,” Light said, “and this was one of those weeks.”
Notes: A new banner hung from under the third deck marking their 16-0 regular-season record last year. ... Croyle, now 0-7 as a starter, went 11-for-19 for 88 yards. ... The Patriots improved their NFL best regular-season winning streak to 20 games.
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