Mon, Sep 14, 2009
Monday Night Football opened its 40th season in Foxboro, MA with the return of Tom Brady to competition as the New England Patriots hosted the Buffalo Bills. Brady had missed all but seven minutes of the 2008 season after suffering a bad knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs and there had been questions about his ability at quarterback entering the game, exacerbated by a hard hit on his throwing shoulder during a preseason game against the Redskins.
The game was also noteworthy for the debut of Terrell Owens with the Buffalo Bills. The most mercurial athlete in the NFL, Owens had worn out welcome with previous teams and had been signed to a one-year deal in Buffalo in the hope he would provide some muscle to a Bills team that entered the season with only 60 wins in the decade and was coming off a dismal preseason where they'd played five games with just one win.
The game was expected to be a Patriots runaway, but it proved anything but, as the Bills stopped the Patriots' opening drive and later returned a Brady interception for a touchdown. A 17-10 Bills lead in the third swelled into a 24-13 lead in the game's final minutes, but Brady, whose passing had been somewhat spotty all night, kicked it into overdrive and led two touchdown drives - aided by a fumble forced on a Bills kick return - that left the score 25-24 but with one last shot for the Bills to pull out an upset.
The game was also noteworthy for the debut of Terrell Owens with the Buffalo Bills. The most mercurial athlete in the NFL, Owens had worn out welcome with previous teams and had been signed to a one-year deal in Buffalo in the hope he would provide some muscle to a Bills team that entered the season with only 60 wins in the decade and was coming off a dismal preseason where they'd played five games with just one win.
The game was expected to be a Patriots runaway, but it proved anything but, as the Bills stopped the Patriots' opening drive and later returned a Brady interception for a touchdown. A 17-10 Bills lead in the third swelled into a 24-13 lead in the game's final minutes, but Brady, whose passing had been somewhat spotty all night, kicked it into overdrive and led two touchdown drives - aided by a fumble forced on a Bills kick return - that left the score 25-24 but with one last shot for the Bills to pull out an upset.