Tom Brady makes his opinion about not starting meaningless Week 18 tie against Falcons very clear - "It would bother me"
Following their defeat of the Carolina Panthers, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South and the fourth seed in the NFC in the process. Due to their poor record (currently 8-8), they cannot improve their standing. They will be the fourth seed regardless of what happens.
That makes their upcoming game with the Atlanta Falcons meaningless, which often leads coaches to rest starters for the postseason. For Brady, that would be frustrating.
He admitted this, per USA Today:
“It’s always up to coach, but yeah, that would bother me. I haven’t missed a game other than my ACL, and then in 2016, I missed the first four games. Other than that, I’ve played them all."
He laughed and added that he was trying to be polite about his coach's decision to start or sit him for Week 18.
Brady is the ultimate competitor, as proven time and again throughout his illustrious career. He has never shied away from competition and doesn't want to - which includes playing in a meaningless game against Atlanta.
An injury is unlikely, but losing Brady in a meaningless game because he refused to sit on the bench would be a tough pill to swallow.
Who might Tom Brady face in the playoffs?
With the fourth seed wrapped up, Tom Brady will see whichever team is the fifth seed. They cannot move up, so they cannot play any other seed.
Right now, that would be the Dallas Cowboys. They are 12-4 but do not lead their division, so they are the top Wild Card.
Thanks to their record, they are incapable of falling lower than the fifth seed (the New York Giants and whichever of the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Seattle Seahawks cannot pass them).
The Cowboys are not locked into a Wild Card spot, though. If they win this week and the Eagles (who may still be without Jalen Hurts) lose, then the Cowboys would take the division title and be a top-three seed.
In that scenario, the Eagles would visit Tom Brady for a rematch of last year's Wild Card round.