Tom Brady was making his 231st career start, tying John Elway for the 5th-most all-time. The Patriots marched 80 yards right down the field on their opening possession, scoring on a 43-yard burst by Blount. The next four possessions of the game were punts, but Butler intercepted Jared Goff on the last play of the first quarter and returned it 7 yards to the Rams 30. It only took four plays from Brady to find Chris Hogan on a 14-yard touchdown pass, increasing the Patriots lead to 14-0. After the next three drives ended in punts, the Patriots marched 48 yards to the Rams 10, but as a sign of the Patriots soon-to-come red zone struggles, Stephen Gostkowski kicked a field goal with 0:11 remaining in the first half. The Rams took a knee and the Patriots led 17-0 at halftime. The first two possessions of the second half were punts, but the Rams finally got on board late in the 3rd quarter. After Pharoh Cooper returned a punt 6 yards to the Rams 45, the Rams drove to the Patriots 26-yard line and Greg Zuerlein got the Rams on the scoreboard with a 44-yard field goal. The Patriots countered by driving to the Rams 30 with Gostkowski adding a 48-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 20-3. Kyle Van Noy intercepted Goff on the first play of the Rams next possession. The Patriots only managed to reach the Rams 27, but Gostkowski added a 44-yard field goal. Down 23-3, the Rams were still unable to move the ball and punted. Once again the Patriots drove to the Rams 27 and another 45-yard Gostkowski field goal increased the Patriots lead to 26-3. a few plays into the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Goff hit Kenny Britt for a 66-yard gain to the Patriots 1-yard line. Four plays later, they connected again on a 1-yard touchdown pass, trimming the score to 26-10, but only 1:15 remained. The Patriots recovered the Rams onside kick attempt and ran out the clock to end the game. With the win, the Patriots improved to 10-2, clinching their 14th consecutive 10-win season. The defense dominated, holding the Rams to a paltry 162 yards and just 10 points while forcing two turnovers. Additionally, Tom Brady won his 201st career game, surpassing Peyton Manning for the most combined regular season and postseason victories by a quarterback in NFL history.
Which player scored the first touchdown of the game?
Blount