Footballs fans across the country eagerly awaited Sunday's NFC clash between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but perhaps were disappointed after the one-sided affair.
Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a dominant 38-10 victory over the Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers at Raymond Jones Stadium.
It helped Brady's Buccaneers improve to 4-2 and remain unbeaten at home, while it was the first loss of the season for the 4-1 Packers.
"... It was good. I think not turning the ball over helped a lot and I think not being behind on down and distance helped a lot," Brady said after the win, per the team. "But certainly (there are) better things that we can do (and) things better than what we did today. We’re going to keep working at it."
Throughout much of the season, and depicted during Tampa's Week 5 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Buccaneers were plagued by their own miscues, most notably penalties. On Sunday, however, the Bucs did not commit a single penalty and were plus-2 in turnover ratio.
"I think it’s a pretty big part of every team’s success -- not turning the ball over and then not committing penalties, which puts you behind down and distance, take you out of your runs and play-actions. All those hurt," Brady said. "You’ve got to be able to stay on track and stay ahead of down and distance. That’s the goal for the team."
A major reason behind Brady's efficient offensive performance (17-for-27 for 166 yards and two touchdowns) was the production from longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski.
The former New England Patriots tight end recorded a season-high in receiving yards (78) while catching five of the eight passes thrown his way. He also had his first touchdown of the 2020 campaign.
"He played great today. Got to try and keep getting him and Cam (Brate) the ball. The tight ends can really help us out, the backs can help us out. It takes pressure off the receivers," Brady said. "We just have to keep building and growing. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel -- we just have to show up every day, try to get better, learn from the mistakes and see if we can win on the road here, which has been tough for us this season."
The Buccaneers trailed 10-0 after the first quarter before scoring 38 unanswered points. Their defense was equally impressive with five sacks, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
