How Tom Brady and the Buccaneers fit the fictional hero journey arc

The Buccaneers facing the first challenge

Facing the first Threshold

The battle was getting into full swing now. In order to have a chance at the Lombardi grail, Brady knew his team would need to get into the playoffs.  There was really only one way left, as the dreaded Wild Card.  As the Wild Card, the team would have to play an extra game through the gauntlet to earn the National Conference Championship.

What they ran into was a series of defeats: The Bears took them down in an ugly 20-19 game, and two wins later, they faced the dreaded New Orleans Saints and were soundly whipped, 38-3.  They managed to get to the Los Angeles Rams game sporting a 7-3 record and really feeling pretty good about themselves. But they lost 27-24, and on the next weekend, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs by the same 27-24 score.

The team needed a break, and the bye came at just the right moment. They knew that they needed to get it together better if they were to stand any chance at all of getting close to the Lombardi grail.

At this point in our journey, the hero and the team have learned a bunch. They had the tools they needed to advance, but they didn’t know how to work them together. They would need to hone their talents in order to face the final Lombardi ordeal.

Approaching the Cave

Their journey to the promised land started with the Minnesota Vikings, and then the first of two jousts against the Atlanta Falcons.  After that, they had to face the Detroit Lions and then a return engagement with Atlanta. Dropping even one of these matches could put a serious dent in their quest.

And so, our hero and his cast of cohorts managed to get through it all unscathed. Along the way, they honed their skills, perfected their schemes, and prepared for future battles.