FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — With “Deflategate” behind him and the Patriots, Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns as the Super Bowl champions beat Pittsburgh 28-21 in the NFL's season opener Thursday night. The Patriots followed a wet but festive pregame celebration of their title by doing what they do best. Brady picked apart the Steelers; at one point he had as many TD passes as incompletions. He went 25 of 32 for 288 yards one week after a federal judge vacated the NFL's four-game suspension in the deflated footballs scandal. All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski scored from 16, 6 and 1 yard. He also recovered running back Dion Lewis' fumble at the Steelers 1, setting up his third score. Brady set a franchise record with 19 consecutive completions in his 23rd game with four or more touchdown passes, third all-time along with Brett Favre. His four-game league suspension overturned by a federal judge one week ago, the three-time Super Bowl MVP was in midseason — or postseason — form. Brady led drives of 90 and 64 yards for scores on passes to Gronkowski. Showing some love for his other tight end, newcomer Scott Chandler, Brady hit him for a 1-yard score to cap an 80-yard march with the second-half kickoff. Brady has 161 victories, tops for a starting quarterback with one franchise in NFL history; he set a team-record with 19 straight completions. Before kickoff, the Patriots unveiled their fourth championship banner as owner Robert Kraft and three former players carried out the most coveted prizes in the trophy case: New England's four Lombardis. Fourth-quarter crowd chants of “Where is Roger?” mocked Commissioner Roger Goodell over “Deflategate.” Goodell did not attend. Neither, it seemed, did the Steel Curtain. Only occasionally did it come close to clamping down on Brady, yielding 361 yards. Third-string running back Dion Lewis rushed for 69 yards, and leading receiver Julian Edelman had 11 catches for 97 yards. Gronkowski had 94 yards. Minus two All-Pros on offense — running back Le'Veon Bell (suspended) and center Maurkice Pouncey (injured) — and without suspended receiver Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh moved the ball decently. But it never really was close. The Patriots even sacked someone other than Ben Roethlisberger, taking down All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown as he tried to pass on a trick play during the game's opening drive. Pittsburgh had moved the ball decisively downfield before the play lost 8 yards, and the drive fizzled, with a missed 44-yarder by Josh Scobee. Scobee, acquired on Sept. 1 from Jacksonville, also missed from 46 yards and connected from 44 and 24. But the damage was done earlier. — AP
