In his 22-year career, quarterback Tom Brady is not known for his speed or rushing. During that span, the 44-year-old Brady only has 1,063 in his career. So it's a big achievement that he had more rushing yards against his former team as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a close 19-17 win over the New England Patriots in his much-awaited return to Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Brady completed 22 of 43 passes for 269 yards with no touchdown or interception, and he ran the ball four times for three yards as the Buccaneers improved to 3-1 on the season, getting back on the winning track following their 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
Brady actually had four rushing yards, but he kneel down at the end of the game reduced his output to just three yards. For the Patriots, Nelson Agholor was the top rusher with four yards on one carry, Brandon Bolden and JJ Taylor both had zero yards on one carry each, quarterback Mac Jones had one carry for -1 yard while Damien Harris had -4 yards on four carries. The Patriots ended up with -1 yard on a total of 8 carries.
Brady records 50th game-winning drive
Brady also recorded his 50th career game-winning drive, leading the Buccaneers to a 7-play, 45-yard drive that was capped by a Ryan Succop's 48-yard boot that gave Tampa Bay the lead with less than two minutes left in the game. The Buccaneers escaped with the victory after Nick Folk's 56-yard field goal try hit the left upright.
"It was a great night of football. It was obviously a very tough game that came down to a couple of plays, and I'm glad we were able to win," said Brady, who also became the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage. Leonard Fournette was the Buccaneers' top rusher with 91 ground yards on 20 carries, while Ronald Jones carried the ball six times for 25 yards and a touchdown for the Buccaneers, who clinched a share of the NFC South lead with the Carolina Panthers.
Wide receiver Mike Evans finished with seven catches for 75 yards while Antonio Brown recorded 63 receiving yards on 7 catches. Chris Godwin had 3 catches for 55 yards, while Fournette finished with 3 catches as well for 47 yards. Cornerback Richard Sherman, who was signed a few days ago by the Buccaneers, finished with seven solo tackles and one fumble recovery.
Brady, Belichick speak in private
After the game, Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick met in the Buccaneers' locker room. It was reported that Belichick reached out before the game for a meeting with Brady, which he drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. We had a lot of personal conversations that should remain that way. They're very private," said Brady, who also shared a hug with Belichick on the field after the game. Brady played under Belichick for 20 years, winning six Super Bowl titles together. The Patriots also showed a video tribute for Brady before the start of the game. Brady signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Buccaneers last offseason, leading Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl title since 2002.
