Tom Brady and the Buccaneers took on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa Bay this evening in what could be the final battle between the two stars. This means it is once again time to consult the Crud Meter.
The Bucs lost to the Chiefs, 27–24. Tom Brady was 27-for-41, finishing with 345 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Before it stabilized, the Crud Meter vacillated quite a bit. Why? The Bucs were very bad in the first quarter, and entered the second half down 20–7. Late in the third quarter, a blitzed Brady's deep ball was picked off by Bashaud Breeland.
Brady's second pick of the game came shortly afterward, when a pass of his was deflected off someone's helmet.
Seems wholly cruddy, but not so fast. Tampa Bay rallied in the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game with 4:10 left. First, Brady connected with Mike Evans on a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 12 minutes left in the fourth. After the Chiefs were forced to punt on their next possession, the Bucs scored another Brady-to-Evans touchdown afterward. Alas, it was not enough. The Chiefs were able to run the clock out and keep the ball out of Brady's hands.
His fourth-quarter attempt at redemption, though it did not yield a win, rescued Tom Brady from the realm of complete crud. The Crud Meter reflects this.
