New England quarterback Tom Brady threw a rare intercepted pass but was otherwise in command, guiding the Patriots to a 38-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in their NFL season opener Monday. Brady threw for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the reigning AFC East champions started a season with a victory for the eighth consecutive campaign. Defensive end Jared Odrick picked off a deflected pass to set up a Miami touchdown and end Brady's NFL-record streak of 358 passes without an interception. Otherwise Brady and the Patriots picked up where they left off last season, when he threw for 36 TDs and his team led the league in scoring. New England totaled 622 yards, the most in franchise history and the most allowed by Miami. Brady, who completed 32 of 48 passes, became the 11th quarterback to throw for at least 500 yards in a game. Norm Van Brocklin set the record of 554 yards in 1951. The sealer came with 5:44 left and the Patriots leading 31-17. A goal-line stand stopped Miami at the 1-foot line, then Brady lined up in the shotgun on first down and threw from his end zone to Welker, who had slipped behind his markers near the 30-yard line. Welker caught the pass in stride and sprinted untouched for the score to complete the longest play in Patriots history. In Denver, Sebastian Janikowski tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal as Oakland beat Denver 23-20 in an ill-tempered and clumsy game between the AFC West rivals. The Raiders claimed victory in Denver for the fourth straight season, and gave coach Hue Jackson his first win as an NFL head coach. It was the Broncos first loss in a home opener since 2000. John Fox lost his debut as Denver's coach, and he lost at least two playmakers in the process. Pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil hurt his shoulder early, and perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey injured his left knee making a touchdown-saving tackle of Darren McFadden, who ran 22 times for 150 yards. The Broncos cut the deficit to 23-20 on Kyle Orton's 9-yard touchdown pass to Lance Ball with 3:43 left. Other than that, Orton had a tough night. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 304 yards with an interception. As he left the field, fans were chanting, “Tebow! Tebow!” for second-year quarterback Tim Tebow, a former college star who has been contentiously overlooked for the starting quarterback role. The Raiders salted away the win by controlling the clock and were able to line up in victory formation after Michael Bush's 12-yard run to midfield for the first down at the 2-minute warning. After a first half filled with fouls, fists and frustration, the Raiders took a 16-3 lead into the locker room in wild celebration as Janikowski's 63-yard field goal fluttered over the crossbar as time expired. That tied the mark set by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and matched by Denver's Jason Elam in 1998 at the old Mile High Stadium.
