Since Bill Belichick took over prior to the 2000 season, the Patriots have rarely failed to deliver an entertaining regular-season opener. Over the last 10 seasons, there have been blowout wins (and losses), debilitating injuries and clutch victories.

Some of that is due in part to the uncertainty that comes with every opening weekend. The first game of the year presents some unique challenges, according to Belichick.

“There’s always a lot to do in the first game,” Belichick said. “You have a lot of information going all the way back to the last times we’ve played each other and last year and preseason and a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ and ‘what ifs’ and all those kinds of things. But that’s what opening day is all about: a lot of questions and then on Sunday there will be some answers.”

With the 2010 opener against the Bengals looming on Sunday, we run down the five most memorable opening acts the Patriots have had under Belichick:

5) Sept. 9, 2002 vs. the Steelers. In the game that opened Gillette Stadium and had former President George H.W. Bush in attendance (along with Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi) the Patriots met the Steelers in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from the previous year. New England crushed Pittsburgh, building a 10-7 lead at the half and running away with some third-quarter fireworks that included touchdown passes to Donald Hayes and rookie Deion Branch. In an attempt to save some face, the Steelers kept their starters in throughout the late stages of the game and managed a touchdown in the waning moments of the game, making the final score 30-14.

“We didn’t lose this one. We got whipped,” Pittsburgh receiver Plaxico Burress said.

4) Sept. 7, 2008 vs. the Chiefs. For Patriots fans, memorable for all the wrong reasons. On a sun-kissed late summer afternoon in Foxboro, a Bernard Pollard hit to Tom Brady’s left leg left the quarterback sidelined for the season. Matt Cassel came on to quarterback the Patriots to the 17-10 win (and an 11-5 record, just missing the playoffs by one game), but the course of the season changed that afternoon.

“When I heard him scream and yell, I knew something was wrong," said Pollard, who was apologetic after the game. “That [stinks] because he’s a great player.”

“When Tom got hurt and he went into the locker room, every time the fans cheered I looked over at the door, hoping I’d see that 12 come out those doors and up those steps,” said Randy Moss. “Basically, I was just snapping my neck every time. Late in the fourth quarter, actually after halftime, I knew he wasn’t coming back, but I don’t know his injury and what happened, all I know is that he didn’t come back.

"Matt Cassel had a [heck] of a game, and hopefully next week he can pick up where he left off.”

3) Sept. 7, 2003 vs. the Bills. Another one to forget for the Patriots. Days after releasing Lawyer Milloy — and seeing him sign with the Bills — the Patriots were waxed 31-0 by Buffalo. It was your basic garden-variety nightmare for New England, which was unable to get any sort of sustained offense going, while ex-Patriot Drew Bledsoe teamed with Milloy to lead the rout of their former franchise.

How bad were things for New England? Six minutes into the second quarter, the Patriots had minus-4 yards of offense. As for Milloy, he forced an interception, recorded a sack and was in on five tackles.

“From the first play on, it was Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo,” Brady said.

“It was an obvious distraction,” Ty Law said, referring to Milloy’s departure. “But no excuses. We didn’t play well. Even if Lawyer Milloy was here, we wouldn’t have done enough to win.”

2) Sept. 9, 2004 vs. the Colts. An epic battle between two teams at the height of their powers. The Patriots and Indianapolis went back and forth in the Thursday night opener, trading body blows throughout the contest. Seventeen second-quarter points from Indy gave the Colts a 17-13 halftime edge.

Things went back and forth throughout the second half, but New England held a 27-24 lead with Indianapolis driving late in the fourth quarter. Peyton Manning had Indianapolis deep in Patriots’ territory, but a sack from Willie McGinest — who came screaming in off the edge on a blitz called by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel — forced the Colts to try a 48-yard field goal to force overtime. Indy kicker Mike Vanderjagt trotted onto the field and rubbed his fingers together (indicating he was “money” — he had made 42 straight field-goal attempts), but it ended up sailing wide left and New England took a dramatic win.

The play added another chapter to McGinest’s legacy of big plays against Indianapolis.

“I remember hearing I was done,” he said after the game. “But I love the game, and I wasn’t ready to leave it then and I’m not ready to leave it now. I got a lot of passion. They’re going to have to kick me out. When they kick me out, I’ll go home. But they’re not going to be doing that for a while.”

“Seems like Willie’s always there when we need him,’’ Belichick said after the game. ‘‘He did a nice job. He got there in a hurry.’’

1) Sept. 9, 2007 vs. the Jets. Where to start with this one? How about the game that launched “SpyGate” and added another chapter to the Patriots-Jets rivalry? Or the first regular-season game with Tom Brady and Randy Moss — which resulted in an electric nine-catch, 183-yard performance for Moss that included a 51-yard touchdown reception in the 38-14 win? Or a record-setting 108-yard kick return for a touchdown by Ellis Hobbs?