If you flip on "The TODAY Show" Friday morning, you'll see a familiar backdrop.
NBC's long-running morning program -- a show that only occasionally focuses on sports -- will be broadcasting live from Gillette Stadium. "NBC Nightly News" will be, too.
That tells you just how big of a deal Tom Brady's return to Foxboro, Mass., is. It's a story that transcends the typical NFL audience. We're talking Super Bowl-level attention -- all on an early-October matchup between two teams that still will have 13 more games to play after Sunday night.
And for good reason.
This game -- New England Patriots versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football" -- has to the most highly anticipated regular-season contest in NFL history. Few non-playoff games ever played in any spot can match the intrigue and spectacle of the greatest quarterback of all time (Brady) facing the greatest coach of all time (Bill Belichick), with whom he won six Super Bowls, for the first time -- after just winning another Super Bowl in his first season with his new club.
It's already been a crazy week. It'll be an even crazier weekend. Let's get to your questions:
@christie_fin
Will anything special happen when Brady breaks the all time passing yards record ? Or will it be ignored during the game ?
I expect an understated acknowledgment. Maybe a message on the video board and a brief ovation. I doubt they'll stop the game and hand Brady a laminated sheet of paper like the Saints did when Drew Brees broke the same record in New Orleans a few years back.
Brady only needs 68 yards to surpass Brees, so it's a virtual certainty that he'll become the NFL's all-time passing leader at some point Sunday night, perhaps as early as the first quarter.
@8SM8
Is gronk playing
TBD. I imagine Rob Gronkowski will do all he can to play Sunday against his former team, but he has yet to practice this week, sitting out Wednesday and Thursday after taking a crunching hit to the ribs in last Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Bucs have been lenient with Gronkowski's practice participation, so they could just be resting their star tight end. But there's no guarantee he'll be healthy enough to play. Rib injuries can be extremely painful, even if there are no broken bones.
Not having to worry about Gronkowski streaking down the seam would be a boost for the Patriots' defense, which already will need to contend with the formidable wideout trio of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown. This has been a throwback start to the season for Gronk, who has six touchdowns in his last four games, dating back to Super Bowl LV.
@ChefdDds89
Why isn’t the team good?
The short answer: poor O-line play, NFL-worst red-zone efficiency, untimely penalties and an otherwise solid defense folding in crunch time. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones hasn't been perfect, certainly, but he's far from the No. 1 culprit when assessing blame for the Patriots' 1-2 start.
@dmero2
What’s the story with Trent Brown? He could possibly miss his 20th out of his last 36 games.
Brown's calf injury has really hurt this offense. He's the Patriots' starting right tackle, and he hasn't played since the opening series of Week 1. He's been back practicing in a limited capacity since the Friday before New York Jets game, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be good to go Sunday.
The Patriots have to hope getting Brown back, whenever that happens, will go a long way toward stabilizing their shaky Patriots O-line. Jones has been hit far too often this season.
But let's not forget that left tackle has been a problem spot, too. Isaiah Wynn has played well below his usual level and now is dealing with a knee injury that's limited him in the last two practices.
The Bucs' pass rush has underperformed this season (32nd in sack rate), but that's a talented group that will give the Patriots problems if they block the way they have thus far.
@CiprianoRjcip22
Stevenson still on team?
Yep, Rhamondre Stevenson still is on the team. And you'll probably see him back in the gameday lineup this Sunday after back-to-back healthy scratches. I'm very curious to see how the Patriots split backfield reps between Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, Brandon Bolden and lead back Damien Harris with top pass-catcher James White now done for the year. Which brings us to ...
@Ofc_dibble
Who gets more touches Sunday... Bolden, Taylor or Stephenson?
I'll say Taylor.
Stevenson was the No. 3 man behind Harris and White to start the season, but he still needs to prove himself to the coaching staff after his ugly debut (lost fumble, blown blitz pickup). Bolden is the Patriots' most trustworthy pass protector with White out, but he offers little upside as a rusher or pass-catcher.
It is a bit concerning, though, that Taylor still saw almost no playing time last week even after White's injury. He and Stevenson still are largely unknown quantities at this point in their respective careers.
The Patriots also could shift some passing-game responsibilities to Harris, but he's caught just 10 passes in his NFL career and hasn't looked great in pass protection this season.
@AdamKendell
Whats the likelihood we trade for Marlon Mack?
Mack, the Indianapolis Colts running back who reportedly is on the trade block, initially intrigued me, but after digging into his skill set, I don't think he's a great fit for what the Patriots need. He was one of the NFL's worst backs in blitz pickup in 2018 and 2019 before missing nearly all of last season with a torn Achilles. For a team that's trying to replace White's acumen as both a receiver and a pass-blocker, I don't love that match.
@Capybara4444
Any shot that the Patriots reach out to the Texans and offer some type of late round/conditional pick for Rex Burkhead?
Now that's a trade I can get behind. Burkhead knows the Patriots system well, was arguably New England's best all-around back last season before his injury and is hardly playing in Houston's deep backfield. Plus, Bill Belichick obviously has a long-standing connection with Texans general manager Nick Caserio.
The Patriots might see what they have with their internal options first, but if Taylor and Stevenson can't cut it, a move for Burkhead would make a lot of sense.
@Nanapredictions
On a scale from 1-10, how confident are you in Harry positively affecting the offense? (Mike Tirico voice)
I dunno, 3? 4? In an ideal world, Harry would help solve some of the Patriots' red-zone issues (all four of his career touchdown catches have come from inside the 10-yard line) but he has yet to prove he can contribute on a consistent basis. We'll see if he's activated off injured reserve this week after returning to practice Wednesday.
@TeamCrazyMatt
In a game between Pats beat writers and Bucs beat writers, who'd win?
I don't know the Bucs beat well enough to make that judgment, but I will say we probably have a deeper pool to choose from. There are a lot of people who cover the Patriots on a daily basis.
That hasn't exactly helped us in the past, though. It's been a few years since we've held a media game, but the Jacksonville Jaguars writers -- with a lot of help from a 6-foot-7 PR guy who played Division II basketball -- beat the hell out of us in our most recent outing. Pretty sure the Patriots' content team burned all photos and videos from that game out of embarrassment. I don't blame them. It was bad.
Hopefully we get a chance to redeem ourselves during next year's joint practices.
