Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is now the second quarterback in NFL history to pass for 80,000 yards and is likely to break the all-time passing record in the most fitting location possible.
Brady finished Sunday's (September 26) 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams with 432 yards and a touchdown on 41 of 55 passing, putting his career mark at 80,291 passing yards, just 67 yards short of Drew Brees' NFL record 80,358.
It's almost certain that Brady will now break the record when he faces the New England Patriots -- his team for the first 20 years of his NFL career -- for the first time during the Week 4Sunday Night Football matchup at Gillette Stadium on October 3.
"I have great respect and admiration for my time [with the Patriots]," Brady said last Thursday (September 23) during his weekly press conference via the Buccaneers' official website. "I had 20 great years there. I kind of spoke that the last 18 months. It was a great time in my life, but I'm really happy to be here and I think we've done some great things in a short period of time. I really love the teammates that I have that I'm playing with here. I love the coaches, the organization's been amazing. Again, it's just a lot of gratitude for me."
The upcoming matchup in New England will also be a homecoming for Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, who spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Patriots, which included winning three of the franchise's six championships during Brady's 20-year tenure at quarterback.
Gronkowski appeared to experience an upper-body injury during the first half of Sunday's loss but returned after being evaluated and finished with four receptions for 55 yards.
Both teams will be looking to bounce back from disappointing performances in Week 3, with the Patriots coming off a 28-13 loss at home to the New Orleans Saints.
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