- Tom Brady invited a host of friends and family to watch him play in San Francisco this weekend.
- Brady grew up in California and was a 49ers fan growing up, but this was just his second time playing in San Francisco over more than two decades in the NFL.
Tom Brady planned himself a bit of a homecoming party heading into Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite playing in the NFL for 22 seasons, Brady, who grew up in California and regularly attended 49ers games as a child, had played on the road in San Francisco just once before in his career.
To celebrate his return to the Bay Area, Brady brought quite a crowd. According to Erin Andrews, who was reporting for FOX on the sidelines, Brady bought 100 tickets for friends and family to attend the game, adding that it was the most tickets he had gotten for any game in his career, including Super Bowls.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington put the number at 83 tickets, with Brady's contingent of fans sitting in the nosebleeds so they could all be grouped together.
—Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 11, 2022
The stage was set for Brady to put on a show, but instead, his supporters were treated to one of the worst losses of his career, with the Buccaneers managing just a single touchdown in a 35-7 loss to San Francisco.
In 22 years as an NFL player, Brady has lost by larger margins just twice.
Brady was blunt in his assessment of his team's performance after the game.
"That's the NFL. You play a really tough team," Brady said. "You play a tough team on the road. They're physical, they're tough. They kicked our ass. It's just the reality of this sport."
—Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2022
But despite the loss, Brady was gracious in defeat, meeting rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who had made his first NFL start that day, at midfield to shake hands after the game.
Brady also signed a ball for 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who picked off Brady in the third quarter.
With the loss, the Buccaneers dropped to 6-7 on the season but still lead the NFC South and control their own destiny to the postseason, with a big matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on the horizon next Sunday.