Another year, another chance at a (not-so-elusive) Super Bowl title for Tom Brady. However, this possible Super Bowl run could be the sweetest of them all for the New England Quarterback. After all the controversies and stories of tension between Head Coach Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Owner Robert Kraft, the Patriots continue to rise above all the media distractions and keep producing wins on the field. Most NFL fans would consider Brady to be the greatest Quarterback of all time, with a 6th Super Bowl win there would be no more room to doubt the legacy of Brady, and at the age of 40 this would be the oldest of any Quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl. However, before this they must face the toughest defense they have faced all year in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As Tom Brady continues to elude “father time” he will have to take on one of the most abusive defenses the NFL has ever seen in the Jaguars. Many believe with the combination of Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady the Patriots should be able to best the Jaguars very handily, and there is reason to believe that. For the Jaguars it’s their 4th road game in 5 weeks and in the Belichick era the Patriots are 38-8 all time versus the AFC South (including playoffs). However, none of this will matter come Sunday for Tom Brady as he comes in with a chip on his shoulder, even though at the age of 40, and still leading the NFL in passing yards (4577). Many believe the Patriots should’ve traded Brady away and let the Jimmy Garoppolo era begin. Come this Sunday Tom Brady will be looking to silence his critics with another trip to the Super Bowl.
Strengths:
- Tom Brady isn’t getting any younger and the play action will be the key to Patriot Victory on Sunday. If the Patriots are able to get some sort of rushing attack established then Tom Brady who has made living off the play action will be able to take the deep shots down field without feeling the pressure.
- Brady thrives off of zone coverages and is too accurate of a passer to just be allowed to sit back in the pocket and hit his open receivers across the field. One of the reasons why the Jacksonville Jaguars matchup well with the Patriots is because they’re a team that plays a lot of man coverage and if they wish to beat Brady they will have to play man coverage throughout most of the game.
- Tom Brady is also very familiar with the franchise of Jacksonville as he is now 7-0 versus the Jaguars since being drafted out of Michigan and by the Patriots. Since history tends to repeat itself Brady should have no problems this weekend.
Weakness:
- The most important factor when it comes to beating the greatest of all-time is pressure. This is exactly what the Jaguars specialize in, as they racked up 55 sacks this year which is one of the best in the NFL. This has been Tom Brady’s weakness in AFC championship games or Super Bowls. If you put Tom Brady under a lot of pressure then your odds of winning go way up.
- One of the most crucial keys to defeating an elite and accurate passer is being able to stop them using man-to-man defense. Luckily, for the Jags this is a good matchup because of their elite cover corners (Jaylen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye) they can play man-to-man defense all day long if they have to. Although, Tom Brady is an accurate passer, he’s going to have to throw his receivers open and if he can’t do that because he’s being pressured constantly then he won’t have enough time to make a decent throw thus leading to turnovers.
The Legacy of Tom Brady continues Sunday. It’s up to him if he is going to – once again – prove his critics wrong and show that he isn’t slowing down. Personally, I believe Tom Brady is going to be facing the toughest pass rush he’s ever faced in the NFL. But I will never doubt the future hall of fame quarterback as no one prepares for opponent like Tom. In this Game I predict a low scoring affair where it will come down to one last possession but in the end I believe Tom Brady will prevail once again.
