Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium next week was already a massive deal, but Brady’s performance Sunday just made it even bigger.
Though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Brady put up a huge stat line. He threw for a whopping 432 yards in the loss, the most yards he’s thrown for in a game since joining the Buccaneers.
So why does that matter? By racking up that many yards, Brady almost certainly ensured he will pass Drew Brees and become the league’s all-time passing yards leader in New England next Sunday.
While it was inevitable that Brady would reach the mark, it didn’t seem likely he’d do it this early in the season. He entered the season 1,154 yards shy of Brees, so he needed about 300 yards per game to break the record in Foxborough. He managed to beat that pace pretty easily, and it would essentially take an injury to keep Brady from getting the 68 passing yards he needs.
Brady will probably enjoy setting the record in New England, even if he doesn’t make much of it. That said, he’s had this game circled for a while. He’ll really want a win more than anything else.
More must-reads: