ATLANTA (AP) -- Tom Brady broke his own NFL record for most completions in a season, quickly gaining the needed nine connections in Tampa Bay's game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Brady had a record 485 completions with the Buccaneers in 2021. The 45-year-old Brady entered Sunday's game against the Falcons with 477 completions, leaving him only nine away from a new record.
Brady set the mark on a 5-yard completion to Russell Gage, the former Falcons receiver, early in the second quarter. The sideline pass gave Brady nine completions on his first 12 attempts and 486 for the season.
Tampa Bay clinched the NFC South with last week's 30-24 win over Carolina and couldn't improve its No. 4 seed in Sunday's game.
Though Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles followed through with his plan to start his healthy regulars, it was not known how long he would stick with Brady.
The Buccaneers had three active quarterbacks against the Falcons for only the second time this season. Top backup Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask could play behind Brady. Trask, a second-year player, was active for only the second time in his career and he has not appeared in a regular-season game.
Brady didn't need long to close in on the record. He completed four passes for 38 yards on Tampa Bay's opening drive, including an 8-yard touchdown lob to tight end Kyle Rudolph.
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