Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a fine tune-up in their first playoff game as the defending Super Bowl champions, taking a 31-point lead after three quarters and never looking back in a 31-15 rout over the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady finished 29 of 37 for 271 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay controlled the game from the opening kickoff.
Tampa Bay scored three times on its first four possessions to take a 17-0 lead, as Brady went 20 of 25 for 159 yards before halftime.
Both of Brady’s touchdown passes came in the second half: a two-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski and a 36-yard strike to Mike Evans that put Tampa Bay up 31-0 in the third quarter. Evans finished with nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles were just beaten in all three phases of the game. QB Jalen Hurts was late on his throws throughout the day, the Eagles’ pass catchers couldn’t consistently get open, and the offensive line couldn’t contain the Buccaneers sending extra rushers, which forced the Eagles quarterback to run for his life and make poor decisions.
NEW YORK SPORTS THIS WEEK 