Tom Brady just keeps rolling.
The 45-year-old looked like his usual self on Sunday Night Football, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
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To begin his 23rd NFL season, Brady completed 18 of 27 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The Bucs had no trouble moving the ball down the field in the first half, but they couldn’t finish drives. All five of Tampa Bay’s first-half possessions ended with a field goal attempt, with four successfully splitting the uprights.
On the first possession of the game, Brady found Mike Evans for a 20-yard gain.
Brady got new target Julio Jones involved on the second possession, tossing a screen pass that Jones took for eight yards.
Just before the half, Brady and Jones connected for the biggest gain of the game – a 48-yarder that Brady beautifully sailed over the Dallas defense. According to Next Gen Stats, the pass traveled 57.5 yards through the air – the second-longest competition by air distance since the league began tracking it.
The Bucs finally completed a touchdown drive late in the third quarter. Brady found Evans on a five-yard goal line fade, giving Tampa Bay a commanding 19-3 lead with just over three minutes left in the third.
Early in the fourth quarter, Brady made his first big mistake. The veteran telegraphed a pass over the middle on third-and-short, putting it right into Donovan Wilson’s hands for an interception.
Even though the Bucs didn’t score in the fourth quarter, the game was never in question. The Cowboys struggled all night, going scoreless over their final 10 possessions after opening the game with a field goal.
Brady and the Bucs will stay on the road in Week 2, visiting the division-rival Saints in New Orleans on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.