NEW YORK (AP) – Tom Brady recorded five touchdowns on a productive visit to Las Vegas. The coach he left behind in New England could barely get six points and suffered his third straight loss.
For those who accept the premise that the quarterback with six Super Bowl championships who left the Patriots to demonstrate elsewhere that he was the backbone of that destination, well, it is something that Tampa Bay is precisely fulfilling.
Instead, the current version of the Patriots with Bill Belichick are also supporting that theory.
The Buccaneers have scored 222 points, to lead the league, even ahead of the reigning champion Chiefs. Tampa is 5-2 and Brady has been essential in it – arm, leadership and cunning.
All the virtues that made him the most successful quarterback in the Super Bowl era.
Expecting Brady to detail his performances in depth in the middle of the season is very similar to what Belichick might present at a press conference. If you ask the 43-year-old quarterback how he’s doing, here’s what he replied:
“We are 5-2, in a decent position, close to the midpoint of the season. There is much to play. We are going to need everyone’s input, the best of all, “he said.” We are going to try to respond to the challenge every week. “
As for responding to the challenge, in his last five games, Brady has 15 touchdown passes and one intercepted. In a new city, with another uniform and a new cast of teammates – and in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic that prevented teams from organizing face-to-face training for several months.
“I think it’s because he knows his teammates better, he assimilates the game system better, everything that changes every week,” said Bucs coach Bruce Arians, now the great beneficiary of Brady’s contributions that Belichick capitalized on for Two decades.
As the Bucs look forward to going far in the postseason, pessimism rages in New England.
The Patriots’ 27-point loss to San Francisco was their most uneven at home under Belichick. They had 286 games without a three-game losing streak, the longest without a three-game losing streak in NFL history.
New England was 2-4 for the first time since Belichick’s first season in 2000, when the Patriots finished 5-11.
That was the last year without Brady at quarterback.
A week ago, the Patriots did not allow touchdowns but lost to Arizona. This time, they failed to score a single touchdown. The defense doesn’t make things bad, but it doesn’t overwhelm either. The offense is inept, and he misses Brady.
Take Julian Edelman, a brilliant catcher in his first 10 NFL seasons – missing one through injury – has been forgotten without Brady. Edelman has only five passes caught in the last two losses at home.
Always surly, Belichick didn’t say much after a 33-6 loss to the Niners, which left New England 2.5 games behind the Bills, with a visit to Buffalo next weekend.
“I think we must improve in all facets. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that we don’t need to work, “Belichick said.
It is possible that this could happen. Cam Newton, low in both games he played after testing positive for COVID-19, could change course. Recipients can find open spaces. The offensive line, decimated by injuries, could consolidate.
But it is obvious that they are missing a piece. Actually, a lot: all that number 12, now with the Buccaneers, brought.
