(via Tampa Bay Buccaneers Communications) - The National Football League today announced that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, becoming the first player in team history to garner Offensive Player of the Month recognition. He also became one of just four quarterbacks in NFL history to have won both AFC and NFC Offensive Player of the Month awards, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason and two-time Pro Bowler Vinny Testaverde. Brady remains the NFL’s all-time leader in Player of the Month Awards, earning the 11th of his storied career.
Over four games in the month of October, Brady completed 105-of-159 passes (66.0 percent) for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns, with just one interception, earning a 110.0 passer rating. Brady led all quarterbacks with his 12 passing touchdowns and a 12:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the month, while leading all players with 13 total touchdowns. He also ranked fourth across the league in passing yards (1,157) and passer rating (110.0). He led an offense that ranked second in the NFL in points per game (35.0) in October, while ranking eighth in yards per game (400.3) and sixth in passing yards per game (284.3). Tampa Bay went 3-1 in October, under Brady’s guidance, and is off to a 5-2 start – the team’s best record through seven games since 2010.
Brady began the month with a 369-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Los Angeles Chargers on his way to NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air Player of the Week honors for Week 4. He closed the month of October in similar fashion, accounting for 369 passing yards and five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in a 45-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. Brady enters November with 559 career touchdown passes, surpassing Drew Brees (558 – active) for the most regular-season touchdown passes in NFL history.
In his first year with the Buccaneers, Brady ranks second in the NFL with 18 touchdown passes – the most by a Tampa Bay quarterback through seven games in team history. He also ranks sixth in the league with 1,910 passing yards and 10th with a 102.7 passer rating.
Tampa Bay has claimed an NFC Player of the Month award in back-to-back months to begin the season after linebacker Lavonte David earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors in September. This marks the second time in team history that multiple Buccaneers players have won either offensive or defensive monthly awards in the same season, along with the 2002 season when Derrick Brooks (October) and Simeon Rice (November) each claimed the defensive award.
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