FOXBOROUGH — It began, somewhat surprisingly, with a 24-20 home loss to the New York Giants last season.

Streaks have to start somewhere, and the Patriots’ record-setting run of offensive production was born in last-minute defeat. Since then, every time the Patriots play a regular-season game, their fans can expect a few things: The team will defer if it wins the opening coin toss; Tom Brady will throw a touchdown pass; and New England will walk off the field with at least 350 yards of offense.