Tom Brady Saves Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Season — And Coaching Jobs — With Game-Winning Drive

Tom Brady did it again.

Despite four quarters of offensive ineptitude, the G.O.A.T. pulled it off in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 16-13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. With just 44 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts remaining, Brady led the Buccaneers to a game-winning touchdown drive in just 35 seconds.

The Buccaneers are now 4-5 and in position for the NFC’s fourth seed despite a first half of the season that has been marked by shoddy offensive line play, a lack of running game and questionable coaching.

And despite all of that being true, it’s a moot point following Tampa Bay’s potentially season-defining win.

“That was f***ing awesome,” Brady said after the game. “We needed it. And we got it. We fought to the end.”

In the process of completing his NFL-record 55th game-winning drive, Brady snapped the Bucs’ three-game losing streak. After failed game-winning drive attempts in close losses to the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady got his mojo back.

And so did the Buccaneers.

Had Tampa Bay lost this game, they would have dropped to 3-6. While that’s not exactly a season-ending record in the woeful NFC South division, the Bucs have an upcoming matchup in Germany versus the 6-3 Seattle Seahawks and won’t host another home game until early December.

This loss would have crushed the morale of the team. While the season may not have been over from a mathematical standpoint, it would have been considered over by anyone with a dose of logic.

Yes, the running game is still bad. Yes, the play-calling and scheme from offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is still questionable. And yes, the Bucs still struggle to complete passes for longer than 10 yards.

But this was classic Brady. When the Rams decided to call a conservative run with Darrell Henderson on 3rd-and-5 with an opportunity to win the game with 1:39 remaining, did anyone really think Brady and this stagnant Bucs offense would pull out the victory?

“We always have a chance with him,” head coach Todd Bowles said of Brady after the game.

Following the Bucs’ first offensive drive of the game until Brady’s 15-yard completion to Leonard Fournette at the 9:05 mark of the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay failed to successfully run a play for over 10 yards.

That’s three entire quarters of football without a play for over 10 yards.

And despite it all, a rushing attack that mustered just 2.6 yards per carry, and an offense that produced just 4.6 yards per play, Brady and the Bucs pulled it out.

“You run out of things to say about him,” Bowles continued to say about Brady. “I’m sure I can’t say anything different than the 50 million people that (have) already commented things on him. He’s a great player. He’s one of the best, if not the best to ever play the game, and he continues to do that.”

That means despite the desire by some for Leftwich and Bowles to be fired, they’re not going anywhere after this victory.

The Buccaneers still have major issues. The offensive line continues to be shoddy, which is a major reason Brady and the offense continue to heavily rely upon quick passing attempts. It’s also a big reason why Tampa Bay was just 5-of-16 on third-down conversions prior to their last two offensive drives, when they went in no-huddle mode.

But this win felt like a season-changing victory. The locker room was lively for the first time this season, Brady was smiling again in the postgame presser and it felt like a whole weight was lifted off of Tampa Bay’s shoulders after defeating the very team that beat them in this same stadium during the playoffs last year.

The Bucs may not be the favorites to win Super Bowl LVII, but they shouldn’t be ruled out of it.

With Brady in the fold, this team always has a chance.