Tom Brady: Buccaneers Have Come 'A Long Way' Since Week 9 Blowout Loss to Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady doesn't expect Sunday's divisional playoff game against the New Orleans Saints to be anything like the regular-season matchups between the two teams.

After the Saints beat the Bucs 34-23 back in Week 1, they dominated the Week 9 rematch. Brady never found the end zone—nor did anyone else on the roster—as the Saints rolled to a 38-3 victory. 

The Buccaneers' three points came in the fourth quarter.

Come Saturday, the 43-year-old quarterback is leaning on the growth he has made with his receivers throughout the second half of the season. 

"I think we've certainly come a long way," Brady said. "I think we're just going to keep improving. The more we're together, the more we're talking about football, the more we're trying to be on the same page, the better it is." 

In that Week 9 game, Brady threw for 209 yards and was picked off and sacked three times, both of which were season highs. It is the only game this season in which he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass.

Brady has finished two other games with fewer passing yards, though both were in wins—a 196-yard performance at home against Minnesota (26-14) and a 166-yard outing at home against the Green Bay Packers (38-10). In both games, he threw two touchdowns.

When the two teams opened the season against each other back on Sept. 13, Brady completed 23 of his 36 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked three times.

If the Saints defeat Brady again this weekend, they will be the first team to beat the legendary quarterback three times in one season. But the former New England Patriot doesn't see that happening. 

"We're in the right frame of mind—we don't have any doubts," Brady said. "That's one thing we don't have—doubts. We're going to go in with guns blazing, we're going to play hard and they're going to play hard, so it should be a heck of a football game."

The Saints play the Buccaneers on Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET.