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Tom Brady nursing injured thumb, still threw for 411 yards and 5 TDs vs. Dolphins

Liz Roscher
·Staff writer
·3-min read

Tom Brady, the 44-year-old wonder QB, still hasn't stopped finding ways to amaze us.

This time, it's his durability. Brady injured the thumb on his throwing hand early in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, and it didn't affect him at all. How do we know? Head coach Bruce Arians said as much after the game on Sunday.

Via ESPN:

"Whenever it happened, it happened early, so it didn't affect him too much," coach Bruce Arians said with a chuckle, as his team improved to 4-1 for sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

There's another way to show that his thumb injury didn't affect him: his game stats. Brady had an otherworldly game against the Dolphins, throwing for 411 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions, the first time Brady has done that in his 22-year career. As ESPN pointed out, that's absolutely ridiculous for most QBs, let alone one who is 44 years old.

Brady's game on Sunday marked the 14th instance in NFL history of a quarterback throwing for 400 yards with five passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The oldest player to do so prior to Sunday? Peyton Manning, who was 37 years, 165 days old in Week 1 vs. the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, when he threw for 462 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Brady's 15 touchdown passes are also the most over the first five games of a season by a quarterback who started for the Super Bowl-winning team the previous season.

Buccaneers QB Tom Brady injured the thumb on his throwing hand early in the game against the Dolphins, but it didn't affect him one bit. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady injured the thumb on his throwing hand early in the game against the Dolphins, but it didn't affect him one bit. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Injury not expected to hamper Brady vs. Eagles

Brady actually spoke to the media about his injury, something he rarely does.

"In my younger days, I probably would have never showed you guys," Brady said via ESPN. "I'd probably try to keep it a secret. But, I think, at my old age, I don't care so much. It's just kind of a football injury, so I'll do my best to get ready for this game — we'll see what happens."

Is it really "old age," or did Brady want people to know that he had a career day while playing with an injured thumb? Either one is perfectly valid, because 44-year-old Tom Brady threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns with an injured thumb. Of course he wants everyone to know that, because it's completely bonkers.

The Bucs are on a short week, playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. For normal, non-Brady football players, nursing a thumb injury with just four days between games could be trouble. But not for Brady. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the injury shouldn't hamper him during the short week or during the game.