Tom Brady’s Buccaneers debut got off to a solid start, leading a touchdown drive and punctuating it himself with a rushing touchdown.
First TD of the 2020 season courtesy of @tombrady.
📺: 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX
📲: Bucs app#GoBucs | #TBvsNO pic.twitter.com/GfZ9ydTZ8E— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 13, 2020
That’s the kind of drive that Bucs fans had been looking forward to ever since Brady’s fairly stunning decampment. It’s also what network executives had been hoping for, with the Bucs stacked in primetime and national windows throughout the season.
Things got worse from there, though, with Brady throwing his first Tampa interception before he managed a touchdown.
JUMP MAN! 🙌@MarcusWilliams with the huge INT off Tom Brady
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/0Q6Njysna5
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 13, 2020
Just moments into the third quarter, though, it got even worse, as Brady underthrew an out route and paid the price thanks to Janoris Jenkins.
JACKRABBIT PICK-6! 🙌
📺: @NFLonFOX | #Saints pic.twitter.com/SYJV6OG36w
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 13, 2020
Surely neutral observers had a lot of sympathy for Brady, though!
I’m not against seeing Tom Brady struggle
— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) September 13, 2020
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) September 13, 2020
And while it is incredibly tempting to view that as the precursor to a sad, “Kramer retires early to Del Boca Vista” end to Brady’s career, he did in fairness immediately lead a touchdown drive, finishing it with an easy pass to tight end O.J. Howard.
Brady answers back. #GoBucs
📺: #TBvsNO on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/5o8cWoN1yf pic.twitter.com/1zVewpqnOZ— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2020
So, hey, it’s not all bad! Whether Brady, at 43, can still carry an entire team remains to be seen, but we’re probably going to find out this year.
