Tom Brady Finally Sounds Encouraged By Patriots Offense After Win Vs. Bills

FOXBORO, MASS. — Throughout the season, Tom Brady’s feelings about the Patriots offense seemingly have ranged from annoyed to flat-out over it.

And while there still is much for the New England quarterback to be worried about, he sang a slightly different tune Saturday night after his team’s win over the Buffalo Bills.

Brady had his best game in in weeks, completing 26-of-33 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ AFC East-clinching victory. He completed balls to nine different receivers, with Julian Edelman and Rex Burkhead — 72 yards and 77 yards, respectively — leading the way. Perhaps most importantly, Brady was able to lean on a rushing attack that gashed the Bills’ stout defense, as Sony Michel (96 yards) and four others combined to rack up 143 yards on the ground.

Finally, the Patriots offense achieved balance.

Whether the much-maligned unit can sustain it into Week 17 and beyond remains to be seen, but, if only for one night, Brady finally sounded encouraged by the performance of his offense.

“Yeah, I think it was more balanced than we’ve been, and we ran the ball good and effectively against a really good defense. So, that’s always good,” Brady said. “I think one game doesn’t always necessarily lead to the next, so I think you just have to keep building week-to-week on some things that maybe we did good that worked out, and the things that didn’t, you kind of move on from them. But, we knew that it was going to be a tough test. We got the ball and – I think we lost the turnover battle, I don’t think they turned it over – and we lost one and then missed the fourth-down opportunity before half. So, hate to have those things happen, but glad we overcame it.”

Watch Brady’s full presser in the video below, and make note of how differently he sounds compared to the majority of his press conferences this season:

Let’s be clear: New England’s offense didn’t solve all its problems in one night. Mohamed Sanu still looks lost, Phillip Dorsett appears to be a forgotten man and rookie wideouts N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers, while undeniably talented, remain intermittently productive. The offensive line looked great against the Bills, but would anybody be surprised if they regress next week, especially if Marcus Cannon can’t play?

And, of course, there are the injuries to Brady and Edelman to worry about. While Brady’s elbow issue appears to be largely under control, Edelman’s ever-growing laundry list of ailments is major cause for concern. The 42-year-old obviously is the most irreplaceable player on the team, but Edelman could make a case for being second line.

These are very real problems, and the presence of them is why the Patriots seem more vulnerable this season than they have in years. As such, Brady is justified when, in his own way, he vents frustrations over the offense’s myriad of issues.

But the veteran quarterback gave the moping a rest Saturday night, and rightfully so. The Patriots earned their most impressive win of the season, and their struggling offense finally might have turned a corner.