(Glendale) Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers maintained their grip on the No. 1 spot in the National Conference South with a 19-16 overtime victory on Sunday night against the arizona.
To deserve this gain, the Buccaneers had to erase a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
“It was an all-around effort in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. The defense remained intractable and the attack was opportunistic. »
During the extra period, Ryan Succop had a 40-yard field goal with 3: 41 to go. Succop’s field goal capped an offensive streak of nine plays and 66 yards.
“If we keep it close in the fourth quarter, we know we have a chance to win,” Brady said. I think we are comfortable in these kinds of situations. »
Brady wasn’t sensational for much of the night but excelled on the Buccaneers’ decisive push by completing all six passes he attempted in a display that recalled the days of his greatest achievements.
The Cardinals won possession to start overtime but were forced to punt.
During their offensive streak in overtime, the Buccaneers made the big play they needed when Brady joined Russell Gage Jr. for a 23-yard gain.
From there, the Buccaneers went for a few more yards before Succop had his fourth field goal of the night.
The Cardinals (4-11) suffered a fifth straight loss while the Buccaneers (7-8) snapped a two-game losing streak.
With their win, the Buccaneers retain first place in the National Conference’s mediocre South Division, one game ahead of the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.
The Buccaneers will host the Panthers next week in a game of great importance.
At age 45, Brady (32-for-48, 281 yards) had the 331e start of his career at quarterback as the Cardinals had to turn to Trace McSorley (24-for-45, 217 yards) and give him his first NFL start.
McSorley, a former star at Penn State, had been the team’s third quarterback for most of the season, but made his starting quarterback debut due to injuries to Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy.
James Conner scored a touchdown on a 22-yard run with 10:47 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 16-6 lead.
However, Brady and the Buccaneers responded with their first touchdown of the night on a three-yard pass to Rachaad White with 8:03 remaining to make it 16-13.
A 42-yard field goal from Succop later allowed the Buccaneers to even the score.