Tom Brady spent 20 years in the AFC with the Patriots, so he didn’t often get to face the Rams – only once a year, based on NFL scheduling. He last played them in the Super Bowl two years ago, a game the Patriots won 13-3.
He’ll take on L.A. once again Monday night, but this time as a member of the Buccaneers. His supporting cast looks vastly different than it did in Super Bowl LIII, but the Rams’ defense has changed dramatically, too. Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler Jr., Ndamukong Suh and Mark Barron are no longer in the picture, nor is Nickell Robey-Coleman or Lamarcus Joyner.
The only Rams defenders from that game who will play on Monday night are Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, John Johnson and Samson Ebukam. Brady has done his homework on this L.A. defense and he knows just how good it’s playing right now – led by the future Hall of Famer, Donald.
“It’s a top-10 defense in every category,” Brady said in his media session this week. “Aaron Donald is as good as there is probably ever played in the National Football League at D-line. He’s an incredible player, explosive, quick powerful. It’s amazing the production he has even when people are double-teaming him, triple-teaming him but he never lets down. Hard-working guy, you can tell football means a lot to him, but he really sparks that whole defense.”
Donald isn’t the only player who’s shined for the Rams this season, and Brady is well aware of that. He mentioned Brockers and Ebukam, saying they’re both “a great player.” Ebukam’s role is reduced compared to what it was in the Super Bowl, but he’ll still get some playing time.
In the secondary is where the Rams really shine, though. Brady pointed to Johnson, Darious Williams and Hill, while also mentioning Jordan Fuller, the sixth-round rookie.
“Jalen in the secondary,” Brady began. “They’ve got some really good players that maybe some people haven’t heard of that are playing really well. Williams had two picks last week, Johnson’s a really good safety. Fuller’s a really good player. Troy Hill’s a player, I’ve played against him quite a bit. they’re really good. They’re fast, they attack, they’re aggressive, they’re in a good scheme. You don’t have a lot of time as a quarterback to sort things out because this D-line’s on you so quick.”
The Rams didn’t necessarily let Brady beat them in the Super Bowl, as it was more about their own offense failing them. Brady completed 21 of 35 passes for 262 yards with no touchdowns, throwing one interception and being sacked once.
Los Angeles hopes to keep him in check again on Monday night, but with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski catching passes from Brady, that’s a tall task.
