Tom Brady has let Drew Brees into his head and into his new home. For the second time this season, the New Orleans Saints have beaten the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handily.
With the 38-3 massacre on Sunday Night Football, Brady has now been swept by a team within his own division for the first time in his 19 seasons.
Brady had arguably the worst offensive showing of his career. The 43-year old threw for 209 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had a lower quarterback rating than the three men who took snaps behind center for the Saints.
Brady wasn’t the only one to blame for the massive loss. WR Mike Evans, WR Chris Godwin, TE Rob Gronkowski and newly added WR Antonio Brown all failed to live up to expectations. It almost looked like they didn’t want to touch the ball.
The Saints defense put more pressure on Brady than he was used to seeing, especially in the AFC East. DE Trey Hendrickson broke through to sack Brady twice during the game.
CB Marshon Lattimore also played a huge part in stopping Evans. He covered Evans on 19 of 28 routes and didn’t allow a single reception; the fourth time that has happened in their seven matchups.
New Orleans’ offense looked motivated to pummel the Buccaneers into the ground with Brees at the helm. The 41-year old threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns. With WR Michael Thomas coming off an injury and RB Alvin Kamara already firing on all cylinders, Tampa’s defense couldn’t make the necessary plays to avoid embarrassing themselves.
Tampa Bay even saw a familiar face when QB Jameis Winston took the field during the fourth quarter. Following the game, Winston sent a message to all of those watching:
Brees is now 5-2 against Brady in their head-to-head battles. Tampa Bay may not have hit their bye week yet, but it sure looks like they took this game off.
Photo: (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)
