After helping create the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL in New England, Tom Brady, much like the rest of us, figured that it would be a while before the Patriots were back in title contention. However, five years after Brady left, Drake Maye’s sophomore breakout has them sitting at 7-2 with a playoff spot nearly guaranteed.
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It’s the first time that New England projects to make the playoffs since 2021 and just the second since Brady’s departure from the franchise in 2020. This change in fortune comes much to the chagrin of the rest of the football world, who may have wanted the Patriots to wait a bit longer before enjoying more success.
Such, after all, was their dominance under Brady. But, according to the GOAT, the Patriots have waited long enough.
“The Pats have all the intangibles dialed in, and they look like a classic New England football team,” Brady suggested while offering his latest power rankings. “We haven’t seen that in a few years,” he added, a subtle reference to his six Super Bowl wins with the franchise in 20 years.
Regardless of how you may feel about it, Brady still believes that this kind of resurgence phenomenon, schemed by head coach Mike Vrabel, is worthy of its own label. Hence, his tongue-in-cheek suggestion that “We need a name for this kind of thing. What do we call it? The Vrabel way? It’s kind of catchy, isn’t it?”
The Patriots ranked sixth overall in his pre-Week 10 power rankings. And ironically enough, Brady is ranking his other former franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even higher than that. “This team doesn’t always get mentioned in the same breath with the Chiefs, Eagles, and Bills,” Brady prefaced. “But they should,” he added, giving a nod to the Bucs as an elite team.
In the eyes of the seven-time Super Bowl champion, the inter-conference match-up between the Patriots and the Buccaneers in Week 10 may just be the can’t-miss contest of this Sunday’s slate.
“The Bucs come off their bye week number three, setting up a huge showdown with the Pats in Tampa. We’ve got two teams that might feel like they’ve got something to prove, ya gotta like that, and it usually results in a great football game. Just don’t ask me to pick any sides here,” added Brady.
Since the game is being played in Tampa, the Buccaneers are receiving the nod from the oddsmakers in Las Vegas, albeit reluctantly. Baker Mayfield and Co. are being listed as -2.5 point underdogs across various sportsbooks, while the comeback on New England’s money line is currently sitting at +120.
At various points this season, both Mayfield and Drake Maye have garnered their own bit of MVP hype. So, unless one of these two offenses decides to uncharacteristically lay a goose egg on gameday, this one is likely going over its projected point total of 48.5.
