Things looked bleak with 5:32 left to play and Buffalo leading, 24-13. At that juncture, Brady had zero TD passes and one interception, which went for a touchdown. Fans weren’t chanting “We Want Cassel!’’, but this was not what everybody had in mind when the 2009 schedule was released last spring. Some Patriots fans actually went for the exits. Big mistake. Elvis was still in the building.
In just over three minutes Brady drove the Patriots 81 yards, connecting with Ben Watson for an 18-yard TD over the middle to cut the lead to 24-19.
Then came a bonehead kickoff return and fumble by Buffalo’s Leodis McKelvin. That was it for the Bills. Brady made mincemeat of Buffalo again in the final drive.
Pass to Randy Moss.
Pass to Wes Welker.
Pass to Watson. Great catch.
Touchdown.
Victory.
“It was an emotional game,’’ Brady said. “We had three timeouts with 5:34 left and I figured if we could take it down the field before the two-minute warning, it would put a lot of pressure on them. We’ve played pretty good situational football here for a long time.’’
Yes they have.
Brady hadn’t played in a game that mattered in 53 weeks. He hadn’t played in the fourth quarter of a real game since a little event we know as Super Bowl XLII back in February of 2008.
Since history was derailed in Glendale, Ariz., Brady had gotten married, announced the upcoming birth of his second child, undergone reconstructive surgery on his left knee, appeared on “Entourage,’’ and been the source of more rumor and speculation than the assembled masses at the Video Music Awards. The only thing he hadn’t done was announce that he’s running for the US Senate . . . and play four quarters of a meaningful football game.
Last night he was back on the Gillette grid, wearing eye black, starring on “Monday Night Football,’’ and reminding us why we care about every step he takes and every breath he makes.
Wearing retro uniform No. 12, including the Pat Patriot helmet made famous by Babe Parilli (He wore No. 15), Brady took charge in his return game. He got off to a slow start, was sacked once, and scrambled once for 9 yards, looking like Tim Wakefield covering first base in Chicago. But most of the time, he shredded the Bills.
