Patriots and Bucs trade touchdowns in Tom Brady’s New England homecoming

7:55 PM ET

Tory BarronESPN Editor
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Tom Brady has entered the building. The New England Patriots‘ prodigal son has taken the field at the place he called home for 20 seasons, Gillette Stadium, for the first time since his well-documented departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not only does Sunday night present TB12 — who earned six Super Bowl titles and four Super Bowl MVP awards with the Patriots — with a chance to exact his will on the team that let him get away, he is also on the verge of history.

Brady enters Sunday night’s game in need of 68 yards (currently at 80,291) to surpass former New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees as the NFL’s all-time leading passer. We’re not saying the 44-year-old purposely waited until his highly anticipated return to New England to tackle the milestone so he could further torment his former team, but the timing does feel suspicious.

Will the long-awaited reunion go the Patriot Way, or the Brady way?