Game Recap: Pats lose heartbreak in Brady's return
The long awaited matchup between Brady and the Patriots finally arrived, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers outlasted the Patriots 19-17. The game certainly didn't disappoint, as this game changed hands and leads back and forth all night. In a rainy night in Foxborough, Mac Jones stepped up to the plate in easily the biggest game of his young career. Going 31/40 for 274 yards, 2 TDs and one INT, the rookie went blow for blow with the GOAT and almost came out on top.
Weather certainly played a factor for the defending champs tonight, as Brady early on had some tough balls sail past his wideouts and forcing the Tampa offense to stay on the ground. Leonard Fournette totaled 20 carries for 91 yards and also caught 3 balls for 47. While the Patriots defense stepped up and kept the high powered Tampa offense to only 19 points, it was still just too much for this still developing Patriots team.
Although this will go down as a loss and drop the Patriots to 1-3, as fans we have to feel a lot better about where the team is at compared to just a couple weeks ago. Mac looked very poised and like a seasoned vet out there and put his team in a position to where they could almost take the lead with less than a minute to go. Unfortunately, Nick Folks consecutive Field Goals came to end, as he just missed left with a doink off the upright to take the lead.
There are still a lot of things this team can clean up, but the strides that they are making are certainly those in the right direction. You hate being on the losing end of an instant classic like these, but it's time to turn the page and look to Houston next Sunday.
