Tom Brady threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first half Saturday to power Tampa Bay to a 47-7 win over Detroit and lift the Buccaneers into the NFL playoffs.
The 43-year-old quarterback, who joined the Bucs this year after 20 campaigns and six Super Bowl crowns with New England, delivered one of his greatest one-half efforts before being benched to put Tampa Bay into the post-season for the first time since 2007.
“We played pretty good in the first half,” Brady said. “Good execution. Guys were making plays for me all over the field. It was just a great effort by the whole team.”
The Buccaneers led 34-0 at half-time on the way to improving to 10-5, securing an NFL wildcard berth while the already-eliminated Lions slid to 5-10.
Brady, who completed 22 of 27 throws, set a first-half career best and club record in passing yardage and the four touchdown passes were his most in a first half since 2014.
Brady’s 36 passing touchdowns this season are a Bucs record and enabled his new club to reach the playoffs — a feat his old team, the Patriots, failed to manage this year.
The Buccaneers set a team record with 410 total yards in the first half, the most by any NFL club in a decade.
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