This has not been the season that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady wanted for himself, on and off the field. An 8-9 record (worst of his career as a starter) with a dip in QBR (90.7) and touchdowns (25) compared to the last two seasons with Tampa Bay has NFL fans wondering if he is actually feeling like the 45-year-old that he is. Not to mention the fallout between Brady and his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.
Nevertheless, Brady has history and possibly the NFL pushing him from behind. The matchup tonight against the Dallas Cowboys will start his 17th trip to the postseason (47 games played), which gives him the edge of experience with the closest quarterback left in the playoffs this season being Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (11 games played).
Quarterbacks Remaining | Postseason Experience |
Tom Brady | 47 games (35-12 record) |
Patrick Mahomes | 11 games (8-3 record) |
Josh Allen | 6 games (3-3 record) |
Joe Burrow | 5 games (4-1 record) |
Dak Prescott | 4 games (1-3 record) |
Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence and Daniel Jones | 1 game (1-0 record) |
Obviously, Brady has been in the league much longer than any of his postseason counterparts; he's literally been in the league since Purdy and Lawrence have been alive. However, when comparing his playoff record to those of Mahomes, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott, Brady is elite. Brady went 10-0 in the postseason with three Super Bowls before he took his first loss in 2006 (AFC Divisional game).
A quick look at Dallas
America's team hasn't been much of a team in recent memory. It's been 26 years since the Cowboys won their last Super Bowl in 1996. Over the past 10 seasons, Dallas has made the playoffs five times while just winning two games. It's safe to say that the Cowboys couldn't be Germany's team if they tried, let alone America's. And, if you think that this isn't the same old Cowboys, it is. Just last season, Dallas finished the season 12-5. However, they failed to advance at all after a quick loss to the San Fransisco 49ers in the Wild Card round. The Cowboys are 12-5 once again and still have zero wins against Brady (0-7), nor do they have more playoff wins than Brady. In fact, they have 35 as well.
I will just be go ahead and say it. Dak is not good. On top of the injuries that seem to be annual at this point, he's regressing when he is actually on the field. Prescott only played 12 games this season, yet had the most interceptions of his career (15) with a 58 QBR. Brady has never had a rating lower than 83 in his career as a starter.
Short but sweet keys for the goat
The stage is set for Tom Brady to get back to another Super Bowl and prove that he still has what it takes to be an elite quarterback in this league. The Buccs have struggled immensely this season. However, it all changes once January hits.
WR2
The secondary for Dallas is a concern, but not for Brady. While the secondary is 13th in the league against WR1 it is 32nd against WR2. Mike Evans is still listed as questionable due to an illness so while Chris Godwin should receive a heavy dose of targets, WR2's Russel Gage and Breshad Perriman need to be huge pieces for Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Playoff Lenny
Brady has spoken throughout the season about his struggles to get the run game going. However, backs like Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White could be primed to perform well. The Buccs have three games this season with 100-plus yards rushing, the most this season coming against the Cowboys (152). Brady is going to have to get Fournette/White in the endzone through the ground as well. Over the last ten games, only three touchdowns have been scored on the ground.
If Brady and the Buccs can dice the Cowboys so-so secondary and bust their front-seven, they could be moving onto the Divisional Round.
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