Tom Brady comes by means of on the demise to ship a Buccaneers win

For over 59 minutes of sport time on Sunday, it regarded like Tom Brady’s season of distress was going to proceed.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been struggling to generate any offense in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. The non-existent Tampa Bay speeding assault remained so, because the Buccaneers gained simply 51 yards on 20 carries in opposition to the Rams, averaging simply 2.1 yards per speeding try. Brady, pressured to shoulder your complete offensive load, was discovering it tough but once more to create explosive performs.

Despite all of this, Brady and the Buccaneers had an opportunity to win the sport earlier than the two-minute warning. Trailing 13-9, Tampa Bay drove down the sphere and confronted a 1st and objective on the Rams’ 7-yard line.

They would fail to attain.

Perhaps probably the most tough play to see got here on second down, when Brady dropped into the pocket and focused vast receiver Scotty Miller. His move discovered Miller vast open, and hit him proper within the fingers.

And fell incomplete:

Then two performs later, Brady tried to squeeze in a throw to Mike Evans, however was fortunate that Jalen Ramsey solely broke up the move, as an alternative of intercepting it:

Game over, proper?

Wrong.

Tampa Bay’s protection, which was rock-solid within the fourth quarter specifically, pressured a three-and-out from the Rams. A pivotal play on that sequence got here on second down, when Cooper Kupp made the choice to slip on a run round the precise edge to work the clock and drive Tampa Bay to take a day trip, quite than attempting to select up the primary down. Kupp’s run on 2nd and 10 lined simply 5 yards, and on the subsequent play the Buccaneers’ protection stopped the clock with their remaining day trip.

If the Rams managed to select up the primary down, it could have certainly ended the sport. Instead, the protection stuffed Darrell Henderson, and compelled a punt from the Rams with below a minute remaining.

That can be simply sufficient time for Brady.

The drive started on the Buccaneers’ personal 40-yard line, and kicked off with an enormous play. Brady linked with tight finish Cade Otton up the left seam for 28 yards and a recent set of downs.

Thanks to the trusty “dots” from Next Gen Stats, you may see how Brady attacked the protection with Otton’s seam route:

After a spike to cease the clock with 28 seconds remaining, Brady went again to work beneath. First he linked with Leonard Fournette within the left flat for a achieve of 4, however extra importantly, the again was capable of dip out of bounds to cease the clock.

On third down, Brady linked with Miller on a cease route alongside the left sideline, and once more, the receiver was capable of duck out of bounds to cease the clock.

Tampa Bay confronted a 1st and 10 on the Rams’ 14-yard line, and once more Brady regarded in the direction of MIller, concentrating on him on a velocity out route alongside the left sideline. The connection went for a achieve of seven yards, however most significantly, Miller was capable of stride out of bounds and cease the clock.

Now it was time for some controversy.

On the subsequent play, a 2nd and three from the Rams’ 7-yard line, Brady regarded to the tip zone, within the route of Mike Evans on a slant route. The move fell incomplete, however one thing else fell too.

A penalty flag.

Derion Kendrick was flagged for move interference, which gave the Buccaneers a primary down on the Los Angeles 1-yard line.

They would rating on the subsequent play, with Brady hitting Otton for the game-winning landing:

The play, apparently sufficient, got here from the quarterback himself:

You can even view the game-winning drive, in its entirety, right here:

The win might have rotated Tampa Bay’s fortunes, and maybe saved their season. The victory improved the Buccaneers’ document on the season to 4-5, completely not the place they anticipated to be when it comes to a win/loss document. But it did transfer them again into first place within the NFC South, as they’ve the identical document because the Atlanta Falcons however do personal a tiebreaker over their division rivals due to a win again in Week 5.

Beyond that, it actually modified the narrative round Brady, not less than in the interim. We might be sincere, it has been a tricky 12 months for the veteran quarterback, each on-the-field and off, making some query why he made the choice to return to the sport in any respect after retiring final spring.

For one drive nevertheless, Brady regarded like his classic self. He known as his personal shot on the finish, and delivered a win for the Buccaneers. Could it really flip Tampa Bay’s season round? We’ll know extra about that in per week, when the Buccaneers journey abroad to tackle the Seattle Seahawks within the NFL’s first sport in Germany.

But for one night time, and even only one drive, it appeared like that was really a chance.

Something Buccaneers followers would gladly take for the time being. An injection of hope throughout a season that gave the impression to be slipping away.