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Tom Brady is just not slowing down. The 44-year-old quarterback led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and has his squad to a 5-1 start in 2021.
The latest win came Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. One narrative heading into the game was Brady's injured right thumb. Well, "injured" may be a strong word because Brady made it clear he was just fine. The thumb appeared to hold up as he lit up the Eagles defense and led the Buccaneers to a 28-22 victory.
He said as much following the win.
Injured thumb not a problem for Tom Brady
Brady finished with 297 yards and two touchdowns in the road win over the Eagles. The thumb never seemed to bother him and following the game he never once used it as an excuse.
"It's football season, so I'm just prepared to play football," Brady said. "I feel great, I really do."
The ageless quarterback is on an absolute tear through six games. He does have a headstart on Week 6 results, but will enter the weekend leading the NFL with 2,064 passing yards. Derek Carr is the next-closest with 1,605 yards.
Brady also has 17 passing touchdowns on the year, which is one more than Patrick Mahomes for the NFL lead in that category.
Brady is about as durable as any professional athlete ever seen. He has not missed a game since the 2016 season and his only major injury came in 2008 when he suffered a season-ending hit in Week 1. Aside from that and his rookie year, Brady has been on the field routinely since 2001.
A thumb injury that does not affect his ability to throw the football will not keep Brady off the field as his career nears its end. His sole focus is on winning yet another Super Bowl to up his career total to eight.
He now gets to enjoy a bit of extra rest following Thursday night's game. The Buccaneers return home next Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears. While that team is trending upward, the Buccaneers will be heavy favorites down in Tampa.
The Buccaneers remain Super Bowl favorites as long as Brady is healthy. Given the way he brushed off talk about his thumb, the team is in great shape to repeat as champions.
