Today's trivia quiz represented a mixed bag of facts about the team, the players, the stadium, and everything in between. Sometimes, these random quizzes are the most fun - or at least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself in order to feel better about the complete lack of structure here.
If you haven't taken the trivia quiz this week, be sure to scroll down first before following the jump. Also, come back to the comments section in a little bit for one or two more bonus questions from me that barely missed the cut in today's quiz!
1. In which year did the Patriots celebrate their first win over the Colts?
Answer: B. 1971. After three straight losses to the Colts, the Pats finally got their first W on December 19th, 1971 to the tune of 21-17.
2. True or False: The Patriots have an all-time winning record against the Colts.
Answer: True. New England's all-time record against the Colts is 46-29, a .613 percentage. Suck on that, Peyton.
3. How many yards is the longest rushing play in Patriots history?
Answer: B. 85. The longest rushing play from scrimmage was an 85 yard touchdown run by tailback Larry Garron against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 1961. The Patriots dominated that game, 52-21.
4. How did the Patriots score their first-ever Super Bowl points?
Answer: C. Field Goal. Kicker Tony Franklin hit a 36-yard field goal 1:19 into the first quarter, which was a Super Bowl record for quickest lead at the time. That lead didn't last long.
5. One of the most (in)famous games in Patriots history is the Snowplow Game against Miami in 1982, where a plowman made a convenient detour to clear a space for the New England field goal that represented the only points of that game. What is the name of said plowman?
Answer: D. Mark Henderson. Henderson, a convicted felon on prisoner work-release, had been working hard all day to keep then-Schaefer Stadium clear of snow. With the game tied at 0-0 with 4:45 left to play, New England had a field goal opportunity at the Miami 23 yard line after having missed two attempts earlier in the game. Henderson rode his John Deere across the 20 yard line, clearing snow, only to conveniently swerve at the 23 yard line to give John Smith a nice clean space for his game winning FG.
6. In that same Snowplow Game, who was the holder for John Smith's winning kick?
Answer: A. Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh, a backup quarterback to Steve Grogan, held for the infamous kick. He had almost as productive a day as Grogan, who finished that game with two completions on five attempts for 13 yards.
7. What is New England's record for most consecutive playoff wins?
Answer: B. 10. New England won 10 straight playoff games from 2001-2005, beginning with the AFC Divisional Game versus the Raiders and going all the way through the 2005 Wild Card Game against Jacksonville. They would go on to lose to the Broncos 27-13 in the Divisional Round, thus snapping the streak.
8. When was the last time a Patriots game ended in a tie?
Answer: A. 1967. On October 8th, 1967, the Patriots and the Chargers finished a game in San Diego with a 31-31 tie.
9. How many stripes are on the sleeves of a standard New England Patriots jersey?
Answer: A. 1. While alternate jerseys have three stripes across the shoulder pads, New England's current standard jerseys just have one large asymmetrical strip just at the edge of the shoulder.
10. Who was the most recent team the Patriots shut out?
Answer: C. The Tennessee Titans. New England clobbered Tennessee 59-0 in Week 6 of the 2009 season. That was the game where Tom Brady threw 5 touchdown passes in the second quarter, an NFL record. That was also a game I attended, where I got a little too hydrated for my own good and didn't think I needed a hat or winter gloves to combat the massive amounts of snow and rain that came down. Not a smart move.
11. Which Patriot has the record for most career touchdown catches?
Answer: D. Stanley Morgan. Morgan had 67 TD receptions during his tenure with the Patriots, which is the current team record.
12. True or False: The New England Patriots have the highest playoff winning percentage in the NFL.
Answer: False. In spite of their recent success, New England still trails the Steelers, Packers, and 49ers in terms of playoff win percentage.
13. Who is the only Patriot to be named Pro Bowl MVP?
Answer: B. Ty Law. Law was co-MVP of the 1998 Pro Bowl, splitting the honor with wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
14. How many jersey numbers have the New England Patriots retired?
Answer: C. 7. Seven numbers have been retired by the Patriots since the inception of the team: 73 (John Hannah), 20 (Gino Cappelletti), 89 (Bob Dee) 79 (Jim Lee Hunt), 57 (Steve Nelson), 40 (Mike Haynes), and 78 (Bruce Armstrong) will never be worn again by another Patriot. The number will undoubtedly jump to 8 when Tommy B retires and number 12 joins the ranks.
15. True or False: Kevin Faulk is related to Marshall Faulk.
Answer: True. While the relation is fairly distant, Kevin and Marshall Faulk are in fact cousins.
16. For a brief period after they were the Boston Patriots and before they became the New England Patriots, the team was known as the ________ Patriots.
Answer: A. Bay State. The New England Patriots were the Bay State Patriots for a very brief period in 1971, right when Foxboro Stadium first opened. Legend has it that they did not want to be known as the B.S. Patriots, so they became the New England Patriots instead.
17. Which player holds the record for most career games as a Patriot?
Answer: D. Bruce Armstrong. Armstrong played all 14 years of his career with the Patriots, from 1987-2000. In that time, he played in 212 games.
18. On a typical game day, Patriots fans collectively eat more than ______ of Italian sausage and ____ gallons of clam chowder.
Answer: C. 1 ton/186. This is per the Gillette Stadium website. I put down at least 3 Italian sausages myself whenever I go, so the number doesn't surprise me. What I'd REALLY like to know is how many gallons of beer are consumed by Patriots fans on a typical game day.
19. What is the seating capacity of Gillette Stadium?
Answer: A. 68,756. More fans than that enter the stadium each game day with Standing Room Only tickets, but Gillette has seats for 68,756 butts. That's 8,464 more than the old Foxboro Stadium, which sat 60,292.
20. How many women are on the Patriots 2012 Cheerleader roster?
Answer: B. 24. 24 lovely ladies were selected out of hundreds of applicants to comprise the 2012 New England Patriots cheerleaders. For some weird reason, none of them will return my calls. Or my emails. Or my Facebook pokes.