Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season is in the books for most teams, and there is a lot to dissect, particularly from the New Orleans Saints 34-23 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Now it's just Week 1, so these takeaways don't necessarily determine how the rest of the season goes, but there were some good things, and some not so good things to read into when it comes to yesterday's Saints win.
1. Drew Brees Is Still Drew Brees for the Saints
This is something more people have talked about when it comes to Tom Brady (more about him in a bit) but many are waiting for Drew Brees to show his age. While he has shown a little bit of age on his arm strength his two touchdowns still show that he can play a strong game and be a productive quarterback. Especially with the pieces around him Brees is not looking to be slowing down any time soon.
2. Don't Panic Yet, Bucs Fans
Yes Tampa Tom didn't exactly look the best against the Saints, and yes they lost against a divisional rival, but it's not time to panic yet in Tampa Bay. A lot of the issues Brady had this week was due to communication errors, with both interceptions being a result of either mixed signals or late throws. This is Tom Brady we're talking about, he will fix these issues. Also with no preseason the chemistry with his receivers is not where it should be. He still had a number of good throws and looked comfortable with the Bucs. It's only Week 1 people, and it's not time for either Brady nor Buccaneer fans to think that this was not the right decision. The big test is the next two weeks, especially next week when the Buccaneers host the Carolina Panthers. If the Bucs lose to the Panthers then it may be time to worry, but until then it's just one game.
3. Brady the Runner?!
You heard that right, Tom Brady scored a rushing touchdown and almost 10 yards worth of rushing yards. Now this obviously isn't Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes numbers, but the fact that Brady was able to score a touchdown (albeit as a quarterback sneak on the goal line) and was able to make some plays with his feet is a good sign for the Buccaneers. One of the key reasons Tampa Bay brought in Leonard Fournette (who only had five rushing yards) was to give Brady a running game to lean on and keep the defensive pressure off of the aging quarterback, but it looks like Brady is doing a decent job of that all on his own thus far. On the negative side of not taking too much stock in one game, however, don't expect this to be a recurring thing.
All in all, the Saints still look like the favorite for the NFC South while the Bucs look like a team on the rise, but may not quite be there this year.
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