AP Photo/Jason Behnken
Some things never change.
Tom Brady entered Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills with a 32-3 record against his former AFC East rival and improved on that total by leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 33-27 overtime victory at Raymond James Stadium.
His 58-yard touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman in the extra period clinched the win and prevented a collapse after Tampa Bay built a 21-point halftime lead.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @Buccaneers
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The Buccaneers are now 10-3 on the season following their fourth straight win and moved closer to the 10-2 Arizona Cardinals in the race for the NFC’s only first-round bye.
Buffalo is trending in the wrong direction and fell to 7-6 overall and 3-5 in its last eight with the latest loss.
Notable Player Stats
- Tom Brady, QB, TB: 31-of-46 passing for 363 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs; 7 carries for 16 yards, 1 TD
- Leonard Fournette, RB, TB: 19 carries for 113 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches for 19 yards
- Mike Evans, WR, TB: 6 catches for 91 yards, 1 TD
- Chris Godwin, WR, TB: 10 catches for 105 yards
- Josh Allen, QB, BUF: 36-of-54 passing for 308 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 12 carries for 109 yards, 1 TD
- Dawson Knox, TE, BUF: 7 catches for 60 yards, 1 TD
Tom Brady Does It to Buffalo Again
Perhaps nobody wants Brady to retire more than Bills fans.
While the frustration surely isn’t quite the same as when he was in their division on the New England Patriots, their old nemesis wasted no time reminding them of his all-time status by directing three touchdown drives in the first half to seize full control with a 24-3 lead at intermission.
He placed an elevated pass on a string to Mike Evans in the corner of the end zone for one of the touchdowns and then used his legs on a quarterback sneak for another one. Leonard Fournette found early success as well by breaking free for a 47-yard touchdown in the first quarter as Tampa Bay looked downright unstoppable for extended stretches.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @Buccaneers
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers @Buccaneers
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Brady also passed Drew Brees’ record for the most completions in a career during the dominant first half by lofting a perfectly placed deep ball into Evans’ hands to set up a touchdown.
The offensive clinic in the first half meant the unit didn’t have to do much in the second half to preserve the victory in theory. Perhaps that helps explain the lack of urgency as it stalled with a turnover on downs, punt, field goal and punt.
The rough stretch put the game very much in doubt in the fourth quarter despite the significant lead in the early going. Brady got the ball back with a three-point lead and less than five minutes remaining and a chance to ice the game, but the offense punted it away again to continue an abysmal second half.
Still, history suggested it was just a matter of time before the all-time great struck back against the Bills. That is exactly what he did with the long connection to Perriman, extending the career dominance of his tormented foe.
Late Charge Falls Just Short for Bills
The Bills were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders this season but have looked like anything but that of late, making Sunday’s game all the more important as they looked to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Patriots.
Their offense managed just 10 points against New England and didn’t show many signs of improvement while falling into a nearly insurmountable deficit in the first half against the Buccaneers.
Josh Allen threw an ugly interception to Richard Sherman and faced constant pressure from Tampa Bay’s defensive front. Buffalo also didn’t hand the ball to a running back throughout the entire first half, which allowed those pass-rushers to focus more of their attention on pursuing the quarterback in comeback mode.
The AFC East club didn’t even have the blustery Buffalo wind to blame this time around while playing in central Florida and found no initial success outside of Allen’s ability to run when the pocket broke down.
That is also how the Bills finally broke through for their first touchdown in the second half when Allen used his legs to pick up a fourth down and then broke through for the score to remain within relative striking distance after a fake punt ended their first possession after intermission.
Not only did Allen’s touchdown run keep the visitors within range, but it also appeared to wake the entire offense up. He responded with touchdown passes to Dawson Knox and Gabriel Davis in the fourth quarter to help cut the deficit to three in the final five minutes before delivering with a field-goal drive to force overtime at the end of regulation.
Unfortunately for Allen and Co., the momentum didn’t continue in overtime when they punted the ball back to Brady and never saw it again.
What’s Next?
Both teams are home in Week 15 when the Buccaneers play the New Orleans Saints and the Bills face the Carolina Panthers.
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