In Super Bowl rematch, it's a Patriots rookie who surprisingly gets first TD of NFL season
Eli Raridon was a long shot to score the first TD of Wednesday's game.
In a surprising turn of events during the Super Bowl rematch, New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon scored the first touchdown of the 2026 NFL regular season. The rookie, who had just finished his final season at Notre Dame and was picked in the third round by the AFC champions, made his first NFL catch and first NFL touchdown in his debut game.
After a flea flicker play and an underthrown pass led to a defensive pass interference call, Raridon snuck out to the corner of the end zone, where A.J. Brown hit him for a 2-yard touchdown after a first-and-goal play. The odds of Raridon being the first touchdown scorer were 60-to-1 at DraftKings.
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