Since the day the NFL released the 2021 season schedule, fans, experts and others have been looking forward to Sunday, October 3, to see Tom Brady return with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to New England. to face the Patriots after a 20-season, six-ring Super Bowl relationship.
Leaving the records and the various controversies after the separation between Brady and Bill Belichick aside, here are the five players to To follow at Bucs vs Patriots.
Tom Brady / QB / Bucs
With the game this Sunday, TB12 will have started 135 games at Gillette Stadium and hopes to score his 116th win at that stadium..
In addition, it will be the seventh time that a Super Bowl-winning quarterback-head coach duo have faced each other as rivals. They have done it before Joe Montana and George Seifert, Jeff Hostetler and Bill Parcels, Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson, Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren, Trent Dilfer and Brian Billick and Brad Johnson and Jon Gruden.
Another mark that could be achieved would be to beat the 32 teams in the league, an achievement only achieved by Favre, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.
Mac Jones / QB / Pats
Tom Brady’s heir he hasn’t had a good start to his professional career after three games. Although he leads a brood of rookies with a 79.1 rating and 67.5 completion percentage, Alabama’s product has left a lot to be desired with only two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Eventually, Jones will have to improve under Bill Belichick and Sunday’s game will be a good test when facing a defense like the Bucs
Rob Gronkowski / TE / Bucs
‘Gronk’ retired in March 2019, but returned to the field to play with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay in 2020. The Bucs acquired the rights to Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick from the 2020 Draft for a fourth-round pick. Round business for the Bucs.
A year and a Vince Lombardi trophy later, the tight end remains one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets and Sunday night, although his participation is in doubt, will show that his tank still has gas for more.
Nick Folk / K / Pats
The veteran kicker will also face his former team. Folk played for the Bucs in the 2017 season, but his time with the team Tampa bay it was short due to injuries. After a year out of the league, the kicker signed with the Pats in 2019 and since then he has been the specialist in Bill Belichick.
This season, he has not missed a field goal attempt by hitting the nine he has tried, the longest being 49 yards. However, he missed one of the four bonus points he kicked.
Richard Sherman / CB / Bucs
The five-time member of the Pro bowl he is the Bucs’ latest addition to their secondary defense and will play a major role due to injury casualties.
Currently, Tampa bay it does not count with Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel dean he was injured in last week’s game against the Rams. Now, Sherman will have an immediate opportunity to prove himself and improve a defense that allows 338.3 passing yards per game.