Many expected Tom Brady to have a bounce-back game against the New Orleans Saints. As usual, though, TB12 managed to raise the already-high bar.
The New England Patriots quarterback absolutely shredded the Saints’ secondary in the first quarter Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, posting a stat line through the first 15 minutes that would be very solid for an entire game to help his club jump out to a 20-3 lead.
But wait until you get a load of this: Brady’s first-quarter effort was the first time ever he’s tossed three touchdowns in the first quarter of an NFL game.
That’s pretty remarkable for a guy in his 18th season who has all kinds of records, and once completed 92.9 percent of his passes in a single game. And that’s not all: Brady’s three TD passes helped the Patriots score the most first-quarter points in a game during the Brady era.
In short: This was Brady’s best first quarter of his entire career. He dropped a dime to running back Rex Burkhead for his first TD pass of the season, hit tight end Rob Gronkowski for a highlight-reel, 53-yard score just over two minutes later, and then found wide receiver Chris Hogan for a 13-yard strike with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
Check out all three of Brady’s first-quarter TD passes below.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
