Thursday night football fans were treated to an outstanding opening-season game between our beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers and “America’s team”, the Dallas Cowboys. Well, in my opinion, Tampa Bay was looking like America’s team that night as they absolutely handed it to the Cowboys. Don’t get me wrong, the Cowboys more than held their own, it’s just they were outclassed by a better team on Thursday night.
With Tampa coming away with a 31-29 win, I thought I should take a second and point out who showed up and balled out Thursday night. The first mention is none other than Tom Brady. It’s crazy how even at 44 years old, this man still surprises NFL fans.
Tom Brady
Brady was electric in the first half, connecting with over 80% of his passes and throwing absolute lasers in tight coverage. Brady would finish the night with a 32/50 completion/attempts ratio and 379 passing yards. Oh ya, did I mention that he also put up four touchdowns? Ya, one word; crazy!
Antonio Brown
The next person I want to shed light on for a masterful performance is Antonio Brown. The Florida native enjoyed a season last year where he was just breaking into his new surroundings and wasn’t given many looks. It seems Bruce Arians is finally trusting with more this year, as he was targeted many times Thursday night, and even scored a beautiful touchdown.
Brown would end up finishing with five receptions and 121 yards. He stood out due to his ability to bring down the long ball and run his routes efficiently and effectively. If Brown keeps this up, he will surely be in talks for Comeback Player of the Year.
Devin White
Lastly, I would like to shed light on Devin White’s performance. White was just as electric as Brady, if not more so. White finished the game with eight total tackles. The Louisiana native really stepped up in this game and truly showed that he is the leader of the defensive core. I cannot wait to see what he has up his sleeve in the next game.
Next Up
Next on the Buccaneers schedule is a showdown against the lowly Falcons. The game should be an easy one for the Buccaneers, but as Bruce Lee once said, “never underestimate your opponent”. We shall see what happens on Sunday.