Upright Saves the Buccaneers, Brady Victorious Against New England, 19-17

Tom Brady won at Gillette Stadium tonight, as his Buccaneers survived a close call against the New England Patriots. Tampa Bay won 19-17 and was saved by the upright, as Nick Folk’s 56-yard field goal was inches off the target.

Even though the champions had control of the game, we might say that the Pats played really well, not backing down for one second. Their defense confused Brady on several occasions, particularly in the final few minutes once he couldn’t connect with Antonio Brown twice in the end zone to secure a victory.

In the end, Brady ended the night with 269 yards, 22-for-43, without a pick or a touchdown. However, the main story was his comeback to the place where he won six Super Bowl titles. It was an emotional night for everyone in Foxborough, and may we say that the fans welcomed their former franchise icon more than warmly.

“So many great guys that have been friends for a long time. What a great game,” Brady said. “They got a really good football team. They made us earn it.”

Brady became the new NFL all-time passing yards leader as he jumped over Drew Brees. Coming into tonight’s game, he was 68 yards behind Brees, who had 80,358 yards in his career. Destiny wanted Brady to become the leader at the stadium where he played for 20 years. Brees was at the sidelines watching his dear friend breaking history for yet another time.

“Congratulations @tombrady, on breaking the NFL All-Time Yardage Record! We have had some epic battles over the years, but more importantly, we have been able to develop a great friendship along the way,” Brees wrote on his Instagram account.

The difference in this game was created on the ground. Tampa Bay had 119 rushing yards, while on the other side, the hosts ended with -1 running yard. This sort of a handicap was something that couldn’t be covered, especially with heavy rain falling.

Mac Jones was solid, but the entire offense was solely on his back. Even though the rookie did a pretty good job against one of the best defensive units in the league, he couldn’t bring a win to the Pats.

Jones was 31-for-40, recording 275 yards with two TDs and one pick. One touchdown pass went to Hunter Henry and the other to Jonnu Smith. The youngster was performing excellent under pressure, and showed fantastic decision-making abilities when Bucs blitzed.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had a quick hug at midfield. pic.twitter.com/AN1d1MFLAR

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 4, 2021

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had a short hug after the match, but we didn’t see any emotions between these two guys. It appears that Brady’s departure from New England really didn’t have a nice background.

Up next, Tampa Bay has a state derby against the Miami Dolphins next Sunday, and after that, heads for Philadelphia to meet the Eagles. The champs are 3-1 for now but will have to play without Rob Gronkowski who injured his ribs. Gronk could even be out for the season, but nothing is official yet.

New England has only one victory in four matches. They will have a nice chance to change that against the sorry Houston Texans next week on the road. Following that one, the Pats come back home to meet the Dallas Cowboys and the division rivals, the New York Jets.