🏈 Brady vs. Brees: The Perfect Week 1 Matchup

NFL fans could not have asked for a better Week 1 matchup than Sunday’s Buccaneers vs. Saints game. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to take on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the most-anticipated game of the 2020 NFL season ... we take a look at why Clyde Edwards-Helaire is everything promised and can take the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense to new heights ... and Anthony Davis gives us a laugh when his postgame press conference is interrupted by a dog barking. You can either prepare for the biggest game of the National Football League season with military precision and turn an afternoon of football into a living-room tailgate or do nothing more than simply set an alarm to remind you it's kickoff time. The choice is yours, and there is no wrong answer, unless you tell me you’ve accidentally made other plans that coincide with Sunday afternoon and will affect your ability to watch what is about to go down. Marking any Week 1 battle as the “biggest” of an entire campaign that will stretch into February would usually be the height of foolhardiness, but when it is Tom Brady against Drew Brees and all the other layers that go into it, there is simply no other choice. [STORY IMAGE 1] Each viewer will have their personal favorite out of the innumerable plotlines that makes Tampa Bay vs. New Orleans the most circled spot on this season’s fixture list, but if you can’t find something that interests you about this one then you’re probably not much of a sports fan, in which case this newsletter might not be for you. Let’s start with the obvious, in that this is the first time that Brady will be taking the field in a non-New England Patriots uniform since his University of Michigan days back in a prior century. No more royal blue with silvery accessories. No more Bill Belichick in his ear. No more weight of collective excellence to lean upon. Combine that with the fact that on the opposite sideline is Brees, who is trying for what may be one final hurrah with the Saints after a career of awe-inspiring productivity. So, now do you see why this is the game that has got everyone talking? “Father Time's going to get us at some point, but we're trying to beat him out right now,” Brees told reporters. “I've got nothing to lose. So, I'm turning it loose and letting the chips fall where they may.” [STORY IMAGE 2] Brady is cognizant enough about time and its myriad concepts that he allowed access to his life for a documentary called “Tom v. Time” and the way these players can defy the body clock is a genuine talking point. This is the first time in NFL history two gentleman of such advanced years have duked it out at quarterback, with 43-year-old Brady and 41-year-old Brees being closer to the required age for one of those over-55 retirement communities than they are to most of their teammates. Yet while no one has ever shown elite excellence at that age - in that position - neither has anyone ever done what Brees and Brady have managed across their career. If you’re statistically minded and fond of records, you’ll like this bit. Brees holds the all-time accolade for most passing yards and touchdowns, with Brady in second place behind him. Plus, of course, Brady needs two hands to accommodate all of his Super Bowl rings. “Little did we know we would have the opportunities that we've had in the NFL,” Brees said. “I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say that I think we both kind of pinch ourselves, the blessing and the opportunity to be able to play this long and play for so many great teams and with so many great players.” Football has snuck up on us this season, the absence of preseason games and the general mayhem of our altered lives being responsible for that. Now America’s game is here again, and it is not tiptoeing around. [STORY IMAGE 3] “When the NFL schedule was released in May, we highlighted [the top 10 must-watch games]( wrote Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab. “The answer for No. 1 hasn’t changed in four months. It happens Sunday. The NFL schedule makers didn’t bother easing us into the season.” The much-anticipated Buccaneers vs. Saints tilt kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET, while the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers host the new-look Arizona Cardinals at the same time, with both games airing on FOX. FOX Bet’s odds bears out the reality that these aren’t just two top QBs, but two teams considered highly capable of challenging for a championship. The Saints are listed at 12-to-1 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season, while the Bucs come in at 14-to-1, which puts them at the fourth and fifth best Super Bowl odds, respectively. When it comes to Brees and Brady, each respects the other, because, well, how could you not? “Obviously when you go against great players like Drew and a great team like that, you know there's not a lot of margin of error,” Brady said. [STORY IMAGE 4] It is a matchup that will tell us something about each team and where they are at in terms of getting on track quickly. It is a blockbuster, it is mouthwatering, and it is hard to think of a better way to get the first weekend rolling. If you like football, you know you’ll be watching, now you just need to decide the way to plan for it. It’s up to you. You can get as deep into it as you like. You can go fully immersive and watch old clips of when Brady and Brees did battle in college, or any of their five NFL matchups. For the record, Brees leads the pro head-to-head 3-2, but his Purdue team got smoked in college. You can get in some fancy coffee and dial in an order of donuts ahead of time. You can wonder how a duel headed by guys with a combined age of 84 is so darn compelling. Or you can just sit there, comfortably and prepare to be entertained. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “Sometimes you go up against lesser experienced players — at certainly the quarterback position — maybe some defenses or some teams aren't as well-rounded as others. But the Saints are not one of those teams. They have a great quarterback, a great offense, incredible skill players, great continuity in their organization. Defense, they rush the passer, good in the secondary, great at linebacker. They've got everything.” Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator: “The biggest thing with Tom (Brady) is there's not a look he hasn't seen. Trying to fool him is gonna be really difficult to do. He knows exactly where to go with the ball based on the picture you're giving him defensively. So that's a huge challenge when quarterbacks are able to do that. They have a lot of weapons on offense. Tom is certainly in the conversation for the best to ever play the position. So we understand the type of challenge that that's going to be.” Bruce Arians, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach: “I think if I was a fan, I would turn (this game) on early, that's for sure. It's special to be a part of it. When you've got two of the greatest of all time playing against each other, it's always fun.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Big expectations awaited rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his NFL debut, and he delivered. [Bleacher Report’s Kalyn Kahler]( why Edwards-Helaire is everything promised and can take the Chiefs’ offense to new heights. - Pat Riley’s one-year rebuild has the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. [ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst]( writes how the Heat are challenging the process. - Oklahoma hopes the least-experienced quarterback in the Lincoln Riley era proves to be just as successful as the trio of Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Jalen Hurts. [Brandon Marcello of 247Sports.com]( takes a look at if Spencer Rattler is ready to follow in the footsteps of other Oklahoma greats. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( We’ve highlighted several social posts featuring dogs in this section of our newsletter. However, we haven’t featured a post with a dog interrupting an NBA Playoff postgame press conference … until now. Check out this video, which shows Lakers big man Anthony Davis fielding a question from a reporter when her dog takes over the question with a series of barks. “All I heard was ruff, ruff,” said Davis while laughing out loud. These are unique times in our world, so while having a dog interrupt a press conference might seem quite unusual in normal circumstances, one can’t help but to just smile and embrace this outstanding video. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (TNT, 6:30 p.m. ET) Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets battle Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of this Western Conference playoff matchup. Friday Night SmackDown (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Bayley will address her heinous attack on Sasha Banks, and Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles battle for the Intercontinental Championship. Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors (TNT, 9 p.m. ET) Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics take on Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of this second round Eastern Conference playoff matchup. Arkansas State at Kansas State (Saturday, FOX, 12 p.m. ET) Skylar Thompson and the Kansas State Wildcats host Arkansas State to kick off the 2020 college football season. Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, FOX, 1 p.m. ET – Check Local Listing) Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks travel to Atlanta to take on Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET – Check Local Listing) Tom Brady makes his much-anticipated Buccaneers debut as Tampa Bay battles Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by FOX Bet Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints: Saints -3.5 Football fans will be treated to a full slate of NFL games on Sunday. However, all eyes will be on Tom Brady as he leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into New Orleans for a matchup with the Saints. Not only will this be the debut of Brady in a Tampa Bay uniform, but this game will feature two of the most explosive offenses in the NFC. The Saints are a 3.5-point favorite heading into Sunday, and while Brady will be the focal point of the game, don’t be surprised to see the experience of Drew Brees and co. come out on top in this one. [WHAT THEY SAID] “WINNING is not everything — but making the EFFORT to win is." — Vince Lombardi [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900