Tom Brady wasn’t pressed to be great on Sunday. 

The Buccaneers didn’t need him to be. 

But he was anyway. 

This is what makes the Buccaneers the most dangerous team in the NFC. Yes, even with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers owning home-field advantage throughout the postseason and having had this week to rest. 

Brady, at age 44 and on a mission to capture an unfathomable eighth Super Bowl ring, performed surgery on the Eagles in Sunday’s way-too-easy 31-15 wild-card win at Raymond James Stadium. 

The patient, the Eagles, will survive. But they’ll be confined to rest at home for the remainder of this football season. 

The beauty of Brady’s work was not in his flawless statistics — 29 of 37 for 271 yards, two TDs and no turnovers. It was in its precision, how clean — if unremarkable in its simplicity — it was. 

Maybe it’s because we take Brady for granted, because he’s almost always on and almost always wins when he absolutely has to. Sunday’s win improved his personal playoff record to a ridiculous 35-11. He’s now defeated 28 different opposing quarterbacks in the postseason. 

So, Brady and the Buccaneers are on to next weekend’s divisional playoff round, which is exactly where the Buccaneers were supposed to be at this point. 

The Buccaneers (14-4) returned all 22 starters from their 2021 Super Bowl championship team — most importantly Brady. 

But there’s been considerable attrition to that starting 22 as this season has progressed. The Bucs on Sunday were without their top two running backs — Leonard Fournette (hamstring injury) and Ronald Jones II (ankle) — and two of their top receivers — Chris Godwin (knee) and Antonio Brown (released for stupidity). 

No problem for Brady. 

Receiver Mike Evans, one of nine different players to catch a pass from Brady in the game, caught nine passes for 117 yards and a TD. 

Running back Giovani Bernard ran for the Bucs’ first TD and finished with 44 rushing yards and 39 receiving yards. And rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn gave the Bucs a 14-0 first-quarter lead with a rushing TD and finished with 53 rushing yards. 

Brady’s ability to survive and advance regardless of the skill-position players around him makes him more dangerous than any player in the game. No one elevates the players around him better than Brady. You’re hard-pressed to find a player who’s done that better than he has in the history of the game. 

“He’s a surgeon,’’ Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said. “Once he figures you out, he’s going to eat you up.’’ 

Brady never let the Eagles have a chance. The Eagles played their safeties deep, determined not to let him beat them over the top, so Brady bled them to death with paper cuts on quick, short passes that neutralized the pass rush. 

“I don’t think there’s anyone better at playing that game — dumping it down, dishing it off,’’ said Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski, whose 2-yard TD reception gave the Bucs a 24-0 lead. “Tom’s been doing it his whole career.’’ 

When you’ve been watching what Brady has been doing for more than two decades, human nature can numb you into taking his greatness for granted. 

“I don’t ever take it for granted,’’ said Evans, who’s 36-yard TD reception gave Tampa a 31-0 lead in the third quarter. “When he came to this team, I knew he was going to change the franchise. He’s done that and then some.’’ 

Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David said, “Having a leader like him gets guys’ confidence up even more. His leadership brings out a different vibe in people.’’ 

A championship vibe. 

If you choose to take a more cynical approach and point out that the Eagles (9-9) offered little in the way of resistance to the Buccaneers, that’s your prerogative. You wouldn’t be wrong. 

The Eagles looked like a team exposed to be playoff frauds, beneficiaries of the added wild-card playoff berth. They entered Sunday’s game with a 1-7 record against opponents with winning records with the only victory coming against the 9-8 Saints, who didn’t even make the playoffs. 

Truthfully, the Eagles were easy pickings for Brady. 

We, however, leave you with this warning: Diminish Brady’s accomplishments at your own risk.