Tom Brady leads Buccaneers to 19-16 Christmas win over Cardinals

Left: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Right: Arizona Cardinals – CC

The first day of Christmas featured a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals, which ended in the Bucs winning 19-16. In the game, the NFL’s most decorated quarterback, Tom Brady, led the offense in overtime to maintain his chance for a playoff spot.

Brady and Tampa Bay struggled at first but managed to overcome a 16-6 deficit in the fourth quarter. The Bucs made the comeback after Arizona quarterback Trace McSorley fumbled his snap on third-and-one at the Bucs’ 42.

Then, Brady made a snap to Bucs RB Leonard Fournette with a screen pass. Fournette completed his 44-yard rushing attempts to set up for Brady’s next snap. The 45-year-old quarterback made a pass to Rachaad white for a three-yard touchdown, making the score 16-13.

At the 4:53 mark, Tampa Bay defensive lineman William Gholston got a fumble recovered, leading to a field goal by kicker Ryan Succop at 42 yards to tie the score at 16-16 with 2:22 remaining time on fourth.

Then, in the overtime, Succop scored his fourth field goal at 40 yards from the end zone. He tallied it with 3:41 remaining time to secure a 19-16 overtime win, maintaining Tampa Bay’s playoff chance.

NBC Sports

2022-12-26 02:41

Marco Wilson with the INTERCEPTION on Tom Brady near the goal line! #BirdCityFootball #TBvsAZ on NBC and @peacock. https://t.co/dmbMtXJ1cv

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Combining his numbers in the fourth quarter and overtime, Brady went for 17 out of 23 passing attempts for 169 yards and a touchdown to lead the comeback win. Brady missed nine passes with two INTs, the same numbers he recorded for the third straight game.

Buccaneers’ playoff spot to be decided in the next game

After defeating the Cards, Brady and the Bucs recorded a 7-8 win-loss record. With the remaining games, the Bucs’ have a one-game lead over the Carolina Panthers (6-9) and the New Orleans Saints (6-9). Tampa Bay needs to beat the Panthers in their upcoming game to secure a playoff spot.