Tom Brady Is Again within the Tremendous Bowl, Due to Course He Is

How with low season exercises and preseason video games canceled due to the pandemic, he nonetheless managed to remodel a workforce that hadn’t gained a playoff recreation since its Tremendous Bowl-winning season of 2002 — that had completed final within the N.F.C. South in seven of the previous 9 seasons — and lead it to a few consecutive playoff victories, all in opposition to division champions.

How he himself overcame a disappointing 2019 season in New England, undermined by a diminishing stockpile of expertise round him, to common 333.3 passing yards per recreation over the ultimate quarter of this season, with 12 touchdowns and one interception.

How he went from throwing an interception on the ultimate play of his final season with the Patriots to serving to the Buccaneers turn into the primary workforce to play a Tremendous Bowl in its house stadium.

“It’s exhausting to examine this as a objective, however on the similar time, it’s a week-to-week league,” mentioned Brady, who will turn into the fourth quarterback to begin a Tremendous Bowl for multiple franchise, becoming a member of Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Craig Morton. “We’re at 7-5 seven video games in the past, not feeling nice. We felt like we would have liked to seek out our rhythm. Performed 4 nice video games down the stretch the final quarter of the season. After that, it was simply all bonus. And we simply needed to go play properly.”

As a workforce, the Buccaneers did play properly on Sunday, and their complete effort validated Brady’s choice to signal with them. He noticed a workforce with elite receivers, an ascending younger protection and a bevy of offensive coaches primed to maximise his last seasons. As a substitute of throwing to N’Keal Harry and Phillip Dorsett, Brady zipped balls this season to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and to Antonio Brown, whom Tampa Bay added in October.

The sport on Sunday unfolded early as if following a tough draft of the groups’ Week 6 matchup, when Tampa Bay sacked Rodgers 5 occasions, coaxed two turnovers and coasted to a 38-10 victory. However then Brady, after connecting on the final of his three touchdowns, threw interceptions on three consecutive drives, all within the second half, as Inexperienced Bay tried to beat an 18-point deficit.

Backed by a protection that once more sacked Rodgers 5 occasions and that twice held Inexperienced Bay’s league-best pink zone offense with no landing when it had first-and-goal, Tampa Bay allowed simply 6 factors off Brady’s turnovers.