Cycles. Life was built on them. You’re born, live, then die; that’s just the way life works. Every organism in our world goes through its very own, unique, cycle. For football and the NFL, it goes through its very own cycle of teams that dominate the league for a certain period of time. For the past twenty-two years, the NFL has housed a quarterback that has not only dominated but re-written the record books.
The man I am referring to is our very own Tom Brady, and on Sunday, with a vintage, and bounce-back performance, Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 32-6 win over the Carolina Panthers. This was a game the Bucs needed to win, especially after losing, and being shut-out by, the Saints just a week prior.
The Panthers came into Raymond James Stadium on Sunday and looked out of their element. The Buccaneers, who were offensively depleted due to injuries to stars Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Leonard Fournette, enlisted the help of some new faces. These faces included wide receiver Cyril Grayson and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
The new starters definitely came to play, as Grayson would end up finishing the day with three catches that led to 81 receiving yards, while Vaughn had an even bigger day. On the second drive of the game, took a handoff from Brady and rushed it 55 yards, all the way to the house; quite a way to make a statement. That run would establish a new season-high for the Bucs in terms of rushing scores.
With everyone playing at their absolute best on Sunday, much of the pressure was taken off Brady. This helped tremendously, and in turn, the Bucs would end up clinching the NFC South for the first time since 2007. With the win, the most storied player in NFL history (Brady), captured a ridiculous 18th division title in his career. Talk about domination.
Much of the offense ran through Antonio Brown on Sunday, as he was active for the first time since week 6. Brown was exceptional in this game, catching 10 passes for 101 receiving yards; a big boost for the offense. Brady has always had a solid connection with the Florida native, so him being back in the lineup should help the Bucs heading into playoff time.
Next Sunday, our beloved Buccaneers take on the New York Jets. The Jets make up one-half of the mess that is New York Football teams. Both the Jets and Giants have struggled mightily since 2011, with only the Giants securing one wild-card playoff appearance in 2016 since. I would be heavily surprised if the Jets are able to somehow best the Bucs. In saying that, stranger things have happened, so you can never rule anything out. Tune in on Friday for my game preview. ‘Til next time!