Despite his age, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady continues to set new standards in his career, achieving some accomplishments that he has never done in his 22-year NFL career. In their 45-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, the 44-year-old Brady threw for 400 passing yards and 5 touchdowns in the same game for the first time in his career, en route to winning his 32nd Offensive Player of the Week Award. Despite a short week and an injured thumb, Brady was impressive in their 28-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
In their win over the Eagles, Brady achieved another career first when he completed 34 of his 42 passes for 80.95 percent. This marked the first time that Brady threw 40-plus passes and finished the game with a completion percentage of 80 percent or better. In that game, Brady threw for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as he led the Buccaneers to an NFC South-best 5-1 record.
Brady prepares for Bears
After beating the Eagles, Brady is now looking forward to their home game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. On his Instagram page, Brady posted a video of himself relaxing after clinching three wins in just 11 days. The Buccaneers defeated the New England Patriots in Week 4, the Dolphins in Week 5 and the Eagles in Week 6.
“We’re on to the next. Bears next, next week. This time in Tampa, in the bay. Let’s go, we’ll be ready,” Brady said in the video.
Brady has a 5-1 record against the Bears. In six games against Chicago, Brady has tallied 15 touchdown passes with four interceptions and a passer rating of 105.3. As of now, Brady leads the league in passing yards with 2,064 yards (an average of 344 yards per game), second in touchdown passes with 17 and sixth in passer rating with 108.0.
Winfield Jr. still in concussion protocol
The Buccaneers’ secondary has been depleted by injuries as they are already without their top two cornerbacks -- Carlton Davis III and Sean Murphy-Bunting. The Buccaneers signed veteran cornerback Richard Sherman to a deal but he suffered a hamstring injury in their win over the Eagles and could miss several games.
Compounding the Buccaneers’ woes was the concussion suffered by their best safety, Antoine Winfield Jr. According to head coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday, Winfield is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol despite missing their last two games. There is a possibility that Winfield might clear concussion protocols before their showdown against the Bears. If he fails to clear the protocol, the Buccaneers will start Mike Edwards alongside Jordan Whitehead against the Bears.