It wasn't his best performance, but Tom Brady left Sunday Night Football with a savory victory over his former team and coach, nonetheless.
Brady completed 22-of-43 passes for 269 passing yards but didn't record a touchdown. He did, however, become the NFL's all-time career passing yards leader on a 28-yard pass to Mike Evans in the first quarter.
Kicker Ryan Succop handled the rest, connecting on four out of five field goals, including a 48-yard field goal with 1:57 left, to ensure that Brady's return to Foxborough, Mass. ended with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 19-17 victory over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Although the Patriots took a 7-6 lead into halftime, the Buccaneers struck late in the third quarter with a Ronald Jones II eight-yard touchdown rush to put Tampa Bay up 13-7.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones led a roaring drive of seven plays for 77 yards, including a 1-yard pass to Jonnu Smith, for the Patriots to take a 14-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
From there, the two QBs traded drives with Succop and Nick Folk alternating field goals until the Buccaneers had the last laugh with the 19-17 score, which stood.
Brady and Belichick shared a quick embrace before the seven-time Super Bowl winner proceeded to be showered with love from several of his former teammates on the same field that he spent 20 seasons defining his legendary career.
Tampa Bay's victory improved it to 3-1 on the season, with the Patriots falling to 1-3.
Here's how the entire Buccaneers-Patriots' game went.