National Post (National Edition)
Brees, Brady take show to Sunday night audience
Seventh meeting for NFL royalty as race heats up
A week after a Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys Sunday night pillow fight, nobody will be nodding off during this weekend's primetime game.
It's another Battle of the Goats.
That, of course, would be Tom Brady, the NFL's alltime leader in touchdown throws (561) and second in passing yards (76,760) versus Drew Brees, the NFL's alltime leader in passing yards (79,314) and second in career touchdown throws (560).
This Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints game is for first in the NFC South, to boot.
It really doesn't get any better. The only catch, however, is this one might not go off as planned.
After he was listed as “limited” with a right shoulder injury on Wednesday, Brees was spotted working off to the side at Thursday's practice. It looked to some like he wasn't wearing shoulder pads.
That wouldn't be a good sign. Rarely does Brees miss two practices in a week. But never before this season has he been 41, either.
Whether it's been injury or age, Brees has lacked crispness in his passes. Through eight weeks, he's rated seventh in completions (185) and seventh among starters with a 106.5 passer rating, but also 12th in passing yards (1898) and tied for 12th in TD passes (13).
At the same time, facing Brady has brought out the best in Brees. At least once.
The two first went headto-head in 1999, when Brady's Michigan Wolverines crushed Brees' Purdue Boilermakers, 38-12 in the “Big House.”
“Unfortunately, that one didn't end too well for us,” Brees remembered earlier this season. “But little did we know we would have the opportunities that we've had in the NFL.”
Brees is 4-2 against Brady in their professional showdowns, including the Monday night meeting in which he posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Patriots and the Saints went on to win the Super Bowl in 2009.
It also includes a Week 1 matchup this season, Brady's debut with the Bucs.
Brees had a quiet night in the Saints 34-23 win, completing 18-of-30 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Brady was good on 23-of-36 throws for 239 yards, and along with his two TD tosses he threw two interceptions — not surprising, given his unfamiliarity with his new team.
The 43-year old legend has since settled in nicely with Tampa. He's third in completions (204), tied for third in scoring strikes (23), fourth in passing yards (2189) and ninth in passer rating (103.1).
Yes, it would be a shame if Brees is physically unable to complete this weekend.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last matchup between two all-time leaders in passing yards was Dan Marino versus John Elway in 1998.
The last matchup between the two all-time leaders in touchdown passes was Sid Lucian versus Sammy Baugh in 1949.
If Brees can't play, the battle for first could still come with a very interesting sidebar.
How about Brady versus Jameis Winston, the guy he replaced in Tampa Bay?
❚ DOWN AND OUT: The Texans and the Bears closed their facilities on Thursday after positive COVID-19 tests. According to the NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, centre Cody Whitechair is the Bear who tested positive, which means the offensive line will be monitored specifically as “high-risk, close-contacts” ... The Chiefs placed DL Chris Jones on the COVID-19 reserve list, not because he tested positive but because he had close contact ... Panthers star RB Christian McCaffery is “trending in the right direction” to a return
from the IR for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, said Carolina coach Matt Rhule.
❚ IN THE HUDDLE: The NFL can be a tough business. In his first pro start last Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa completed 12-of-22 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in leading the Dolphins to a 28—17 victory over a Rams team that has five wins and is challenging for first in the NFC West. Note the key words: a win. And this week Miami coach Brian Flores was asked about rumblings that the game was the start of an audition for the sixth pick of the 2020 draft.
“I'm going to tell you what I'm thinking,” said Flores. “We brought Tua here because we believe in him, same as all the other draft picks. We believe in developing players ... and improving players on a daily basis. That would be just the opposite of giving someone a 10-game audition. That's just my thinking on that, just so everybody's clear.”
❚ GOING DEEP: Washington coach Ron Rivera says the team has not given up on quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the 15th overall pick of the 2019 draft. This season, Haskins was 1-3, with four TDs, three picks and a passer rating of 80.3, before he was replaced by Kyle Allen. “It's funny, I benched the guy and it's like everybody thinks his career is over here in Washington. It's not,” Rivera told the NFL Network's Rich Eisen, noting that Haskins was a starter at Ohio State for just one year, and that he has only 11 starts as an NFLer. “There's potential, there's opportunity. The kid has an NFL arm, it's just a matter of him developing.”