It might not be as picture-perfect as what we saw over the weekend, but the weather for Sunday night's game between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is trending toward excellent.
But that wasn't always the case. In fact, as recently as Friday, some models indicated a slight chance of Hurricane Sam -- currently strengthening east of the Caribbean Sea -- impacting the New England area while the Patriots host Tom Brady and the Bucs.
It was far too early to say with any certainty whether the storm would make landfall in the United States. However, some tracks left the door open for Sam staying out at sea but nevertheless producing high winds in parts of the Northeast.
As of Monday morning, the latest Global Forecast System (GFS) model had Sam completely missing the United States before potentially scraping Eastern and Northeastern Canada.
Here's the GFS model for Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET, via Tropical Tidbits:
(Sam is the spiral-looking storm near Eastern Canada with the "L" (low pressure) over it.)
It's important to note that forecasts and models could change as the week progresses. Fans should not completely eliminate the possibility of high winds in Foxboro, Mass., on Sunday night.
Still, the current AccuWeather forecast calls for mostly clear skies and temperatures in the low 50s for the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff between the Patriots and Bucs. So, fall in New England.
As for the Patriots, their prognosis is far gloomier.
Following Sunday afteroon's loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bill Belichick's 1-2 team is in must-win territory for the foreseeable future. Obviously, they'll have a difficult time beating Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champions.
Follow NESN.com throughout this week for the latest news, analysis and conversation surrounding Brady's return to New England.
