by TAMPA, Fla. — Even Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s daughter, Vivian, who turned 10 on Monday, has expressed doubts that she can beat the New Orleans Saints at home on her father’s birthday.
Speaking to ESPN, Brady said, “When I said, ‘We’re playing the saints,’ he got a little worried. He said, ‘I don’t know, Dad.'”
He hadn’t done this at home in his previous two tries and hadn’t even scored in those games. And with the Bucs trailing 16-3 with 5:21, it didn’t look like it would be in 2022 either.
But Brady, 45, beat another offensive lineman, Tristan Wirfs, in his All-Pro right-hand fight, scoring two goals to beat the Saints 17-16, trailing Peyton Manning 44 for most of their career fourth-quarter comebacks in NFL history. left.
The first came on a 91-yard drive, running off the rally, which saw Brady complete passes to six different receiving goals, and was punctuated by a 1-yard pass to rookie tight end Cade Otton in the corner of the end zone – In the same corner, the Bucs were behind the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9 guaranteed his victory.
Then, after the defense forced a three-out with a sack for a 10-yard loss by outside defender Carl Nassib, Brady recaptured the ball with 2:29 remaining. From there, he finished 8 of 10 passes by scoring a 6-yard field goal to rookie Rachaad White, who jumped over the goal line with 8 seconds left to give the Bucs their first Saints sweep since 2007.
Brady joked after the game, “Just like we draw. Just like we draw.”
Wide receiver Mike Evans shook his head in disbelief.
Evans said, “He’s getting better at those moments. It’s like crazy.” “I think that’s his experience and his mentality. He knows he wants the ball on offense at the end of the game and he wants us to go out and play.”
Otton: “It’s clear he’s been there before. It gives us confidence to know that we can do it. The biggest thing is the belief and confidence that we’re going to win this thing at the end of the game. thing.”
But Brady has only really been here once before—when the New England Patriots smashed a 28-3 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI, down 19 points in the fourth quarter. Monday night marked Brady’s first win of the regular season after trailing 13 or more points in the fourth quarter.
“That’s great. I’m grateful,” said White. “I believe I was just born when TB first entered the league. I was born in ’99. To be able to be a part of the road years later, just be grateful. And you should treasure those moments.”
How improbable was victory? According to ESPN Stats & Information research, teams over the past five seasons are 3-530 with 13-plus points trailing in the final four minutes of regulation, and three wins have been the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 of the Kansas City Chiefs. 2018, the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 this season, the New York Jets and now the Bucs over the Saints. The Bucs’ chances to win are as high as 25-1 on Caesars Sportsbook, with the team trailing 16-3.
Even more improbable was Brady’s second comeback to score in the final 15 seconds of the edit, for the second time this season. Brady’s touchdown to Otton against the Rams came with 13 seconds remaining. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brady is the third quarterback to score more than one kickoff goal in the last 15 seconds of regulation in a season since the merger, and the first since Brett Favre in 1999.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of it,” said right-wing Shaq Mason, who was part of the Super Bowl LI comeback when he was with the Patriots. “I felt how it was going to end, but it was great to get it done. … I mean, he’s a GOAT for a reason. He’s the best. I’m lucky to have a second chance to be with him.” … I love it … Everyone in this dressing room trusts him when the time comes. He delivered for us.”
Evans added: “One thing about us – especially the past few years with Tom – we keep playing until the end because anything can happen. We’ve seen that over and over.”
