We’re not sure how much attention Tom Brady pays to outside noise, but there’s certainly bulletin-board material to be had for the New England Patriots quarterback.
Brady has received heaps of flack for his play in each of the Patriots’ last two losses, with some even believing that Father Time finally has caught up to the 41-year-old signal-caller. Brady’s uncharacteristic play of late has caught the attention of Boomer Esiason, but the former NFL QB is confident the Patriots star will turn things around ahead of the playoffs.
“If you see a quarterback flinching or a quarterback worrying about getting hit and things of that nature — which I have seen with Jared Goff and Tom Brady the last couple weeks — I would worry about that,” Esiason said Tuesday on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” “But I also know a lot of that has been talked about. So when players hear that stuff being said about them, I expect both of those players to finish strong this season, especially Tom Brady up in New England. I know a lot of people are questioning whether or not he wants to stand in there anymore, I think he will. These games are important, they still have a shot at the No. 2 seed and I think he will play better and he will elevate his play during the last two weeks.”
There are, of course, no cakewalks in the NFL, but the Patriots will close their 2018 regular season with two favorable home contests against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Brady threw for a combined 607 yards in his first meetings with the Bills and Jets, so there’s reason to believe he’ll light it up over the next two weeks, especially with major postseason implications on the line.
But finishing the regular season on a high note is one thing. Taking your game to the next level under the bright lights of the playoffs is a whole other animal.
