5 things to watch out for when Tom Brady visits New England Patriots in Week 4
It will be an emotional day for Tom Brady when he returns to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots for the first time in his career.
Brady led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances, winning six, before leaving to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is likely the most highly anticipated regular-season game in NFL history as there are storylines galore.
But what are the biggest ones to look forward to?
Five things to watch for with Tom Brady in New England
#1 - Tom Brady seeking his first win against the Patriots
Tom Brady's list of accomplishments seems endless. But one thing he has not achieved is defeating all 32 NFL teams. The only team he is yet to beat is the New England Patriots.
He will get his first opportunity to cross them off the list on Sunday. Only Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre have accomplished the feat of beating all 32 teams in the NFL.
#2 - Tom Brady to surpass Drew Brees as NFL's passing yards leader
Drew Brees is the current career leader in passing yards in NFL history with 80,358. Tom Brady is just 67 yards behind in second place.
That means, in all likelihood, Brady will become the NFL's all-time passing yards leader in New England on Sunday night. He may even break the record in the first quarter. Brees will be part of the broadcast team covering the game.
As if there was not enough anticipation for Tom Brady’s return to play the Patriots next week already, there’s also history on the line.
Brady needs just 68 passing yards to pass Drew Brees (80,358) for the most in NFL history.
#3 - Bill Belichick looking to prove a point
In his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady won the Super Bowl while Bill Belichick and the Patriots missed out on the playoffs.
Brady has already proven he can win without Belichick. The head coach has yet to do the same without his legendary quarterback.
#4 - Rob Gronkowski homecoming will have to wait
Unfortunately, Rob Gronkowski has officially been ruled out with broken ribs. He did not travel with the team and will be inactive.
He was a big part of Tom Brady's success in New England and was a massive contributor in the Buccaneers' run to the Super Bowl. The last time Tom Brady played a game without Rob Gronkowski was back in the 2019 season.
Bucs’ TE Rob Gronkowski is not making the trip to New England today due to his rib injury and he will be out Sunday night vs. New England, per sources.
#5 - How will the rookie QB in New England fare against the GOAT?
The storylines surrounding Tom Brady and his return to New England make it easy to forget about the rookie quarterback out of Alabama for the Patriots, Mac Jones.
He has struggled this season and has a QBR of 52.4 as the Patriots are off to a 1-2 start. He will look to get back on track in the biggest way possible by trying to spoil Tom Brady's return to New England.