Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' offense finally came back to earth in Week 8. But Tampa Bay still got the result it wanted.
The Bucs won their third consecutive game Monday night, squeaking past the Giants 25-23 after New York failed to convert a two-point attempt in the final minute.
Brady, who racked up 369 passing yards and five total touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, had a tougher time solving a Giants defense run by two ex-Patriots assistants in head coach Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Curran: Should Pats bench Cam for Stidham? Not so fast
But as he's wont to do, Brady made big plays when it counted, throwing both of his touchdown passes in the second half to help Tampa Bay rally from a 14-3 deficit and improve to 6-2.
Here's Brady's stat line against New York and his updated stats on the season:
Week 8: 28 for 40, 279 passing yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 106.1 passer rating
2020 season: 204 for 308, 2,189 passing yards, 20 TDs, 4 INTs, 103.1 passer rating
Brady's first touchdown pass Monday was a 3-yard strike to old friend Rob Gronkowski, who finished with four catches for 41 yards and a score.
Brady and Gronk now have connected for 93 touchdowns, moving into second place on the list of QB-receiver duos with the most career scores.
The Bucs trailed the Giants by two in the fourth quarter when Brady threw a gorgeous fade ball to Mike Evans for an 8-yard score.
That touchdown grab was Evans' seventh in eight games, tying him for the NFL lead. He and Gronkowski are two of the best red zone threats in the NFL, and Brady has clearly enjoyed throwing to both: His 20 TD passes are tied for the third-most in the league.
"I’m a big receiver," Evans said after the game. "I love fades [and] I love getting the ball in the goal-line area. Tom’s ball placement is one of the best all time, so that’s a good combination."
The Giants nearly forced overtime after a Daniel Jones touchdown pass to Golden Tate with 28 seconds remaining, but Jones' pass intended for Dion Lewis on the two-point attempt was broken up.
Brady has the Bucs off to one of their three fastest starts in franchise history. As for his former team? The Patriots are 2-5 and appear poised to enter tank mode.