Aftermath of Tom Brady's return to face Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots

Tom Brady's return to take on Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots lived up to the hype.

The final scoreline of 19-17 in the victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicates that Sunday night's game wasn't the fireworks show many expected — more on that later — but make no mistake, there was plenty of drama.

Despite the rainy night in Foxborough helping keep both offenses in check, Brady and his new team did what his old team could not: get in position to successfully hit a decisive field goal late in the game. Ryan Succop nailed his 48-yarder to give the Bucs a lead, but Nick Folk's 56-yard effort for the Pats doinked agonizingly off of the left upright with less than a minute left.

It was the culmination of a game that featured three touchdowns (one from Tampa Bay, two from New England) and five field goals (four from Tampa Bay, one from New England) on the field.

Although the weather certainly factored into Tampa Bay's scarcity in finding the end zone, Shannon Sharpe of "Undisputed" had big praise for Belichick and the defense.

After throwing for nine touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, Brady put up a goose egg in the TD department Sunday.

"Coach Belichick did a great job against Tom Brady," Sharpe said. "… [He] held him to his lowest completion percentage since he's been a Buccaneer. Did a lot of disguising. Played a lot of three-man front, dropped guys in coverage. … I thought, overall, the game plan they had in place was very good."

Sharpe also pointed to a lot of missed opportunities by the Patriots, including Folk's missed kick.

At the time of the miss, the Patriots were staring at a fourth-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 37-yard line with 59 seconds on the clock. That Belichick opted for the long-range attempt rather than trying to convert with rookie quarterback Mac Jones was telling, Nick Wright of "First Things First" said.

"Because Bill Belichick had the choice: What do I trust more? Nick Folk to make a 56-yarder – he hasn't made a kick longer than 55 [yards] since 2015 … and our defense then get a stop, or Mac Jones to pick up three yards?" Wright explained. "And Belichick was like, ‘Send out the kicker! Can’t ask Mac to get three yards!'"

Jones was about as efficient as can be, completing 31 of his 40 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 101.6. His only real blemish came on a first-quarter interception.

Nevertheless, in Belichick's news conference Monday, he said the decision to kick the late field goal rather than go for it was an obvious one.

"It really wasn't much of a decision there," Belichick said via the team's website. "We converted two third downs in the game. Nick [Folk] kicked well. No, there wasn't any consideration."

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As Skip Bayless put it Monday morning, now Brady's season can begin, with the chaos of his return to New England in the rear view.

"I am so relieved this is over for him," Bayless said. "It feels like his season can now start because I think … the first three games were pointed at this night. This was everything to him. I do not believe he ever wanted to win a Super Bowl more than he wanted to win that game [Sunday] night. … He came out way over-amped. … It wasn't Brady-esque."

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But if you thought the story ended when the clock hit zeroes and Brady gave a celebratory fist pump, think again.

All eyes were on Brady and Belichick as the game ended, and the two met in midfield to exchange a quick hug. It seemed like that was that.

However, Belichick found his way to the Buccaneers locker room and reportedly had a lengthy discussion with his former quarterback before meeting with reporters.

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What was said there will likely remain a secret.

"Yeah, I mean, all those [conversations] are personal," Brady said in his postgame news conference, via NBC Boston. "We got a personal relationship, you know, for 20-plus years. He drafted me here. We've had a lot of personal conversations that should remain that way and are very private. And I would say so much is made of our relationship. You know, as I said earlier this week, from a player's standpoint, you just expect the coach to give you everything he's got, and I'm sure as a player that's what he was hoping from me.

"But nothing is really accurate that I ever see. It's all kind of … definitely doesn't come from my personal feelings or beliefs. I got a lot of respect for him as a coach and obviously a lot of respect for this organization and all the different people here that try to make it successful." 

After the Brady vs. Belichick feud dominated the chatter heading into the week, their apparent reconciliation might be the latest chapter of the saga.

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