Tom Brady didn't need to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots to prove who won the divorce, but he did anyway.
The lead-up to Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick was overdone, because Brady had already won. And then he won again.
While Belichick found out what it was like to be on the other end of one of those wins where the team going against Tom is in a position to get the victory...but doesn’t.
The Patriots had a great game plan and there were some positive takeaways for them, mainly the play of Mac Jones, but when it mattered most Belichick didn’t put the ball in his quarterback’s hands which is the way he won so often when Brady was in New England, and not as a visitor.
Contrast that with the way Brady went for the jugular twice only a few plays earlier, even if Antonio Brown wasn’t able to haul in a touchdown. To me, Belichick not going for it on 4th and 3 and instead electing to attempt the longest field goal of his kicker’s career with plenty of time still left on the clock for a response was in a word, weak.
So despite the good signs for his team, with the defeat Belichick’s regular season record fell to 62-75 without Brady at QB. Meanwhile we all saw what Brady did without Belichick, and it ended with yet another trophy.
It was sort of strange to watch the pomp and circumstance around the reunion of a dynasty that many hated, but one must respect what Brady and Belichick were able to accomplish together. However, the once heated conversation about who deserved more credit for the Patriots’ success should now last about as long as a Brady and Belichick hug.
Because Tom Brady won...again.