On Sunday, October 3, Tom Brady returned to Foxboro for the first time since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This meeting gave Brady and Bill Belichick a chance to one-up the other in their long dispute for who deserves the most credit for the Patriots density.
Many, including myself, thought Brady would annihilate the Patriots defense. On Episode 30 of JWALSports, I talked about how it would be amazing for Brady to throw for 500 yards and beat the breaks off the patriots, but the complete opposite happened. Brady thew for 269 yards on 22 of 43 passes, had zero passing touchdowns, and won the game by two points! Proving that the debate on who deserves the most credit to be closer than most people have perceived.
The Buccaneers played from behind for 33 of the games 60 minutes. The first time they temporarily regained the lead was in the 3rd quarter when Ronald Jone II scored the teams first and only touchdown of the day. The second time they regained the lead was in the fourth quarter when Ryan Succop hit a 48 yard Field goal to put them up by two with 1:57 in the fourth quarter.
For a Tom Brady game, this was well below the standard. He actually set himself up to lose his first and maybe his only matchup against his former team, but Bill Belichick’s play-calling saved Brady in this game.
Rookie Quarterback Mac Jone played an exceptional game going back and forth with arguably the best Quarterback to ever play in the NFL. He got the ball back with 1:57 in the fourth quarter and was driving the ball down the field like a veteran Quarterback. He even resembled Tom Brady on a few plays when he chose to throw to his running back on his check-down option instead of trying to force a big play down the field.
This drive had all the makings of a game-winning drive. They got the ball on their own 25-yard line and drove the ball to the Buccaneers’ 37-yard line in six plays. Then, the Patriots faced a 4th & 3, and Belichick decided to put Nick Folk in the game to kick a 56-yard field goal with a minute left on the clock.
Now, if they were playing against any other quarterback in the NFL besides Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers, I would support that decision 100%, but you’re playing against Tom Brady. Belichick has personally watch Brady get his team into field Goal range in late-game situations on multiple occasions in their 20-year relationship. Why would he put Brady in a position that he’s overcome so many times?
Nick Folk ended up missing the 56-yard field goal, and Tom Brady walked out of Gillette Stadium without having to exhaust every ounce of his repertoire to win the game.
If you would like to hear a more in-depth conversation on the Buccaneers vs. the Patriots tune into JWALSports on YouTube, where we will be uploading a new episode on Tuesday, October 5 at 5:00 PM EST. You can also join us every Thursday at 12PM EST on the ColorCast app, where we produce a live episode every week.
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