Brady accomplishes career first with win over Newton’s Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There’s always a new milestone to reach — even for 44-year-old quarterbacks with seven Super Bowl titles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady entered Sunday’s game against the Panthers 0-2 in his career against Carolina’s starter, Cam Newton. But Brady finally overcame his kryptonite in Week 16, as the Bucs cruised to a decisive 32-6 win over the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
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After Sunday’s victory, there are now just three quarterbacks Brady has faced multiple times and never beaten: Jake Plummer (0-3), Brian Griese (0-2) and Nick Foles (0-2).
Brady easily won the battle of former New England Patriots QBs, as Newton was benched midway through the game in favor of Sam Darnold. Here are Brady and Newton’s final stat lines:
Brady: 18 for 30, 232 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 94.5 passer rating; 1 rush, 11 yards
Newton: 7 for 13, 61 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 34.5 passer rating; 5 rushes, 42 yards
Now let’s get to the highlights, which included Brady reaching another milestone with his 37th touchdown pass of the season.
Highlights
Brady found tight end Cameron Brate for a 4-yard strike late in the first half to extend the Bucs’ lead to double digits.
The TD pass was Brady’s 77th in just 31 games with Tampa Bay, which remarkably ties him with Vinny Testaverde for third on the Bucs’ all-time list.
Brady needs four more touchdown passes to move ahead of Josh Freeman for second place behind Jameis Winston (121).
The Bucs QB also broke loose for an 11-yard rumble in the third quarter:
That run brought Brady up to 88 rushing yards on the season, his most since racking up 109 yards on the ground with the Patriots in 2011.
Tampa Bay clinched their first NFC South title since 2007 with Sunday’s victory, which gives Brady a remarkable 18 division titles in 21 NFL seasons.
Next up for the 11-4 Bucs is a matchup with the 4-11 New York Jets.