National Football League

Patriots rout Buccaneers 35-7 at Wembley

Published Oct. 26, 2009 2:50 a.m. ET

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw three touchdowns and passed for more than 300 yards Sunday to help his team beat the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7 at Wembley Stadium. It was the NFL's third regular-season game at the iconic London venue. For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn't help. They fell to 0-7 and saw their losing streak extended to 11 games overall. The Patriots (5-2) were coming off a 59-0 win over the Tennessee Titans in which Brady tossed six TD passes. New England wasn't as overpowering this time, and Brady even threw two interceptions in an uneven first-half performance. But, thanks to a 39-yard score on an interception return by safety Brandon Meriweather on the fifth play of the game, New England was always in control against the league's 27th-ranked defense. Brady had TD passes to Wes Welker, Sam Aiken and Benjamin Watson. He finished 23 of 32 for 308 yards and was replaced late in the game by Brian Hoyer. Laurence Maroney went over from 1-yard out with 9:25 left to complete the scoring. "I'm feeling great," Brady said. "I keep rolling. That's two wins in a row. We went out there and put two touchdowns on the board there in the second half. We had plenty of distractions coming over here, but everybody was really energized. To get the win and fly home and have a (bye) week off is just great." Tampa Bay and quarterback Josh Johnson mustered little offense. The Bucs' only score came on a 33-yard pass from Johnson to Antonio Bryant near the end of the first half. Johnson finished 9 of 26 for 156 yards and three interceptions. He was taken out midway through the fourth quarter and replaced by rookie Josh Freeman. The loss capped a bad day for the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers. The Glazers' also control Manchester United, which lost to Liverpool 2-0 earlier in the day and missed a chance to regain first place in the Premier League from Chelsea. Brothers Bryan and Joel Glazer were at Wembley for the Bucs game. The game was played before a sellout crowd of 84,254 at Wembley, England's national stadium. It's the third straight year the NFL has come to London for a regular-season game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week he envisions playing multiple regular-season games in Britain in coming years with the possibility of London having its own franchise. Sunday's atmosphere was noisy and festive, and the dry weather left the Wembley field in good playing condition. Brady said it even had the feel of a Super Bowl. "All the flashbulbs were going off there before the kickoff," the two-time Super Bowl MVP said. "They went on for about 10 minutes, which you don't see in the States too often. I think it's a privilege to come over here and get to enjoy this type of experience. It will probably never happen again for us, so we'll retire 1-0 internationally." Even understated Patriots coach Bill Belichik was happy with the international experience. "It's a great way to end this week," he said. "It's been an enjoyable couple days here and glad we could end it on a positive note." For the Patriots, it was their first victory away from home this season. on the road this season. The Bucs' 11-game losing streak is their longest since 1976-77 when they endured an NFL-record 0-26 skid. Rookie coach Raheem Morris said his team just couldn't stop Brady. "Tom, he's the guy that changed the game. He's the guy you worry about constantly," he said. "When you have a great quarterback like that, that's what he does and that's what he will do for you."