Seems destiny is teasing us, dangling before our wistful eyes a sequel potentially epic in scale, the NFL equivalent of Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Jurassic World.
The planets are aligning for Brady-Belichick, Part Deux.
Working title: Bucs-Patriots in Super Bowl 56.
As November segues to December, the chances appear solid that fate will give us a follow-up to Brady’s compelling, climactic return to Foxborough, Mass., in early October. BetOnline, a sports-wagering site, currently lists the odds of a Bucs-Patriots Super Bowl matchup at 16 to 1.
To refresh: That 19-17 triumph — on a cold, rainy New England night — seemed to siphon every molecule of emotional and physical will from that region’s 44-year-old folk hero, who acknowledged as much afterward. Naturally, Brady has refilled his tank since then.
He may have to top it off come February.
Since that game (clinched only when Nick Folk’s 56-yard field goal hit the left upright with less than a minute remaining), New England (8-4) has won seven of eight and currently owns the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones owns a 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in that stretch, with an average quarterback rating of 105.5.
Moreover, the Patriots own a plus-12 turnover margin in those eight contests.
“Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: The New England Patriots have a smart, accurate quarterback who makes plays and doesn’t make mistakes,” former Bucs coach Tony Dungy said Sunday on NBC’s Football Night in America.
“They’re playing physical on defense, they play great in the red zone, they get takeaways, they’re the most consistent team in the AFC and they’re looking toward the No. 1 seed.”
The Bucs? They’re 8-3, own a three-game lead in the NFC South, have a solid hold on the conference’s No. 3 playoff seed and are coming off their most impressive road victory of the season. In his latest rankings of the NFL’s top 10 squads, longtime NFL reporter Peter King ranked Tampa Bay sixth — three spots behind New England.
“(Leonard) Fournette won a Super Bowl ring in Tampa last year, but he became a championship running back with that four-touchdown performance Sunday in Indiana,” King said. “A power-back with that offense could make it lethal, and it might be needed with a defense that’s been more attackable this year than last.”
Of course, one fan’s dream matchup is another’s dreaded one.
While all of New England — not to mention New Tampa and New Port Richey — would revel in the sequel, the casual Super Bowl observer (which forms a huge chunk of the viewing audience) likely would reach for the remote, citing Brady-Belichick fatigue.
One or the other has appeared in six of the last 10 Super Bowls; together, they led the Patriots to five appearances (and three wins) from 2012-2019.
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But for the NFL zealot, not to mention the global media, the refurbished drama would be irresistible.
The subplots that fueled the hype for the Oct. 3 clash would be built up to bloated proportions in a Super Bowl setting, like story lines on steroids. The ceaseless deliberation over who was most responsible for the Patriots dynasty — Brady or Belichick — would re-ignite and spread beyond containment.
Brady’s relationship with his former coach would be exhumed and dissected, again. Even a story line that never materialized in the first meeting due to injury (Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski facing his old team) would sprout and potentially assume a life of its own.
And to be sure, Tom Brady Sr. would provide a viral sound bite or two.
Yet the scenario remains far from fruition.
While the Bills (7-4) are the only team on the Bucs’ remaining schedule with a winning record, the Patriots still must play Buffalo twice and have tricky road trips to Indianapolis and Miami.
The playoffs also could be dicey, especially if the Bucs must travel to Green Bay (currently the NFC’s No. 2 seed).
For now, just stay tuned.
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
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