Tom Brady leads his largest regular-season fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the New Orleans Saints and take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 6-6 on the season.
The Bucs offense put up 3 points on their opening drive and managed to do nothing else for the next 50 minutes of the matchup. It seemed they were completely dead in the water, but you can't count out the GOAT until the clock hits 0...
The seven-time Super Bowl quarterback said it was "just like we drew it up," after throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the final three minutes in Week 13's Monday Night Football matchup.
With the game on the line, it was the 🐐's time to shine #NOvsTB pic.twitter.com/FNJgzyw8lP
— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2022
Brady was on the verge of being held to 0 TD passes at home by New Orleans for the third straight season. So, in true Brady fashion with just 3 minutes left, he led scoring drives of 91 and 63 yards to take the victory - giving Tamp Bay a more comfortable seat atop the weak NFC South.
We've had a lot of games come down to the end. Some we've won, some we've lost, which is why we're 6-6. It's not where we want to be, but we'll keep fighting.
Tom Brady
Demario Davis may have rattled Brady with his second-quarter interception, but No.12 put the team on his back and turned on every offensive weapon he could find to get things done. Brady split his 281 passing yards between 9 different receivers on the night, but Chris Godwin led the pack with 63 yards.
Cade Otten hauled in the first touchdown grab, while Mike Evans, Rachaad White and Julio Jones all made crucial plays to move the ball down the field.
The final drive of the game saw Leonard Fournette convert multiple third downs and eventually take the ball over the line with 8 seconds remaining. The game-winning touchdown followed a penalty call that took Chris Godwins end zone catch off the board and took the Bucs 10-yards back. Nothing was going to stop TB12.
This may be the most vintage Tom Brady moment we see before he calls it quits. Enjoy it while it lasts...
Tom Brady is 45 years old. Still the GOAT. pic.twitter.com/BvrM4AoMeL
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 6, 2022
Meanwhile, the Saints continue to struggle offensively under the mismanagement of Dennis Allen.
I have said this every single week and I'll probably say it until Allen leaves New Orleans...
Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in the league and yet Dennis Allen is finding a way to reduce him to nothing. Kamara has had next to no impact in Saints games so far this year, and there is only one reason - the offensive scheme.
The once-star running back is now 32nd in rushing yards this season and 49th in rushing touchdowns - finding the end zone just once. Allen has given Kamara single digit carries in 3/5 of their last matchups - all of which have been losses - while the other two only saw him take 12 touches on the ground.
Alvin Kamara is a difference maker in almost any team, so the fact he's not shining while Andy Dalton runs a terribly average passing game is beyond me... Perhaps Allen just sees Mark Ingram as the future of their ground-game instead?
The superhuman athlete that is Taysom Hill continues to contribute all over the field, but it's still not enough.
Hill threw a pass for 21 yards, rushed 3 times for 10 yards and caught a 30-yard touchdown to top things off. This man is something extremely special, but Dennis Allen prefers to just use him as a gimmick every once in a while...
Taysom Hill WR1
— PFF (@PFF) December 6, 2022
pic.twitter.com/jc4WxaEOKt
Rookies continue to lead the Saints through the air, as Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed remain Andy Dalton's favourite targets. There's no doubt these two are some of the best first-year talents we've seen, and Olave is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year, but I can't help wondering how many records he could be smashing if Dalton wasn't his QB.
The Saints will be stuck for a while with the team they have, and Dennis Allen is only making things worse. Gaining a 13-point lead against Brady is all well and good, but if you can't hold onto it for 3 minutes, there's no use having it in the first place...
So that wraps up Week 13 of the NFL season.
Tom Brady now has almost as many fourth-quarter comebacks as years on this earth and Dennis Allen's time in New Orlean's should be coming to a swift end. Everything's as it should be...