Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has accomplished nearly ever possible feat for a player at his position, and has a spot awaiting him in the NFL Hall of Fame when his playing days come to an end.
But for now, he's continuing to defy Father Time.
Saturday against the Detroit Lions will be the veteran's 300th career game, and should he lead the Bucs to a win, they'll clinch a playoff berth. But just because the Lions are sitting at 5-9 doesn't mean that Brady will be taking them lightly.
“We know what’s ahead of us,” Brady said of Detroit. “We’ve got to go out there and play well. We’re playing against a very explosive team that’s played very well at different times throughout the season.
“They’ve had leads. They haven’t held on to all of them. But they’ve played from ahead, they’ve played from behind. They’ve got a very good quarterback, a great group of skill guys. They have a very tough scheme on defense. So we’re going to have to go out there and play our best 60 minutes.”
The Lions have been posting nearly 27 points per game over the last four weeks, while quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off a recent 400 yard and three touchdown performance against the Bears. He's been banged up the past two contests, but continues to gut it out for his teammates.
However, their defense is a different story. Currently ranked 31st in the NFL at stopping the run while giving up an average of 400 yards per game could easily have Brady and the Bucs licking their chops. But for the six-time Super Bowl winner, they must remain on guard.
“This is why we play, to put your team in a place and to give yourself an opportunity to compete for a championship,” Brady said. “And it takes a lot of work to get to that point. It’s very hard to get to that point.
“The competition’s tough week in and week out. You’re playing against great teams, great coaches, every team has strengths and weaknesses. And we put ourselves in a position where if we win we’re in the playoffs.”
– – Quotes via Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press Link – –
