The New England Patriots welcomed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Gillette Stadium for the season’s third Sunday night primetime game. What might look like an ordinary Sunday Night Football game is in fact a game with over 20 years of history. 

The Brady-Belichick relationship can be traced back to the year 2000. After a mere day at the helm, Bill Belichick had just attained the head coach position in New England after resigning as head coach for the division rival, New York Jets. Tom Brady was drafted in the subsequent draft in the 6th round, pick 199, and the 6th quarterback taken in the entire draft. Together, this tandem would bring 17 division titles, nine conference championships, and 6 Super Bowl championships. This dynamic duo had been together for so long until Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. Ever since their separation, the NFL fan base has been anticipating the game where these two future Hall of Famers square up. 

While Tom Brady would have liked to prove his old team wrong and blowout the Patriots, the young New England team put up a respectful fight. Belichick took advantage of the Buccaneer’s injured secondary by excessively calling pass plays and letting quarterback Mac Jones spread the ball to receivers all over the field. The game was a stressful back and forth, with both teams accounting for over 600 yards of offense yet only 36 total points scored. Since Tom Brady was held without a touchdown, the Buccaneers had an excessive amount of field goals thanks to kicking-veteran Ryan Succop, who nailed four field goals and accounted for 13 of the Buccaneer’s 19 points on Sunday night. 

What does this mean for both of these men’s legacies? For Tom Brady, his overall knowledge and obsession with football transcends himself and continues to motivate his teammates to perform at a higher level. Since winning last year’s Super Bowl LV, he has been the certified goat but continues to add accolades to his name by passing Drew Brees for the all-time passing record. On top of that record, the win against the Patriots secured a rare feat for Brady: defeating every NFL team. Brady has consistently proven through his play that he is one of the most determined, driven, and talented players in NFL history. As for Belichick, while there is no question that he is one of the greatest defensive minds the NFL has seen, his team’s performance does not match the level of Brady’s success. Time will only tell if Mac Jones can be the future for New England and turn their fortunes around after a 7-9 season with Cam Newton. We would love to see the Alabama rookie work his way into the playoffs, and NFL fans will be on the edge of their seats for another Brady vs. Jones matchup.