On Sunday, ageless quarterback Tom Brady stunned the world with his resilience once again, leading his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
At one point, when time was running out in the second quarter, Brady, 45, dropped back, then stepped forward and gunned the football an astonishing 55 yards in the air to Julio Jones for a massive gain.
Tom Brady and Julio Jones may be a cheat code together pic.twitter.com/JRUZZiIAio
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 12, 2022
One observer noted that Brady’s time to throw was the third quickest in the league on Sunday and his air yards per attempt were the second highest in the league.
Tom Brady continued his rare combo of getting the ball out quickly while still being very aggressive downfield
Time to throw was 2.5 seconds, third quickest in Week 1
Air yards per attempt was 10.7, second highest in Week 1
led the NFL in 20+ yard attempts last season
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 12, 2022
Brady, who is undefeated in his lifetime against the Cowboys, went 18 of 27 for 212 yards with one touchdown.
Last year the Buccaneers and Cowboys rated as the two top offensive teams in the NFL.
Meanwhile, after numerous reports of a rift between Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, over his return to the NFL after having stated last February he would retire and spend time with his family, Bundchen tweeted, “Let’s go @TomBrady ! Let’s go Bucs !”
Let’s go @TomBrady ! Let’s go Bucs ! ✨✨✨
— Gisele Bündchen (@giseleofficial) September 12, 2022
In March, Brady stated on Instagram, “These past two months I have realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. Without them, none of this is possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. We have unfinished business.”
In 2021, the Bucs were the defending Super Bowl champions but after clinching the NFC South division and defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild card Round, lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a nailbiter, 30-27 in the Divisional Round. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl.
In August, Brady left training camp for a few days before returning. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained, “No one is worried, he’s fine. … To my knowledge, it is not a medical emergency related to him or I believe anyone close to him. I was told everything is okay. The best description I got about this is that it’s important to find a work-life balance.”
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Brady said after the game. “This is just the beginning, just one game. It certainly wasn’t great out there; there’s a lot we can do better, and we’ll try to do better next week.”
"There's a lot we can do better, and we'll try to do better next week."
🗣️: @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/P17ivDL45t
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 12, 2022