TAMPA, Fla. – Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting hot at the right time. Barely surprising as far as Brady is concerned.
The six-time Super Bowl champion threw 399 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday, which helped the playoff-bound Bucs reach the fifth-seeded in the NFC with a 44-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
But the team’s fourth victory in a row, meaning the Bucs (11-5) will face NFC East champions Washington or the New York Giants in the club’s first post-season game in 13 years. come, may have cost a hefty price. .
Star receiver Mike Evans was sent to the locker room late in the first quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. Evans was injured once after a 20-yard reception made him the first player in NFL history to start a career with seven consecutive 1,000 seasons. He went down to make a catch in the end zone, and was sent to the locker room after first trying to walk away with the help of a coach.
“It meant the world to him to break the record and then get an easy test,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. ‘The lawn was really slippery in the end zone. It was just a freak thing. Knocking on wood, we do not think there is any serious damage, but we will know more about the next 24 hours. ”
Brady passed Chris Godwin from 29 and 4 yards. The 43-year-old full-back also played alongside Antonio Brown jointly over 25 and 30 yards to achieve a franchise record 40 in his first season with the Bucs.
Brady joined Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Dan Marino as the only players with multiple seasons of at least 40 TD passes. Rodgers has done this three times already, the other twice.
Now it’s off to the playoffs, where Tampa Bay has not appeared since 2007.
“It’s about one football game, playing well, performing when the pressure is on,” said Brady, who has scored at least twice in seven consecutive games.
He raised a question about whether he imagined he could go with a new team for 40 touchdowns in the first season, especially due to the absence of a normal season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Whatever plays for me as a quarterback is a reflection of what we do as a foul,” Brady said. “I like playing with the guys I play with. We have a great group of receivers, a great group of runners, very selfless. The backs did an incredible job and the offense played very well.”
Matt Ryan completed 29 of 44 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns for the Hawks (4-12), completing a disturbing season that claimed the job of former coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff after an 0- 5-begin.
Ryan hit on a 1-yard sneak and also threw 19-yard slides to Russell Gage and 1 yard to Hayden Hurst. The latter tipped Atlanta’s deficit to 30-27 before Brady doubled the game with two late slides.
Interim coach Raheem Morris took over on October 12 and passed 4-7. He interviewed for the full-time position last Friday and would like to return.
“I love this soccer team. I love this city. “I like this organization, and I love the owner, and I love the players,” said Morris. ‘These guys are not far away. They have a chance. … They are so close. We need to find a way to get over the edge. ‘
Some players pull for him to return.
“He’s an excellent coach,” Brian Hill said. “Of course he had nothing to do with staff. He just worked with what we had and he did a good job. ”