The first step for Tom Brady: Turn the Buccaneers into winners in the regular season and get them into the playoffs.
Check.
The second step: Start the postseason off with something his new franchise had not done in 18 years.
Check.
This is why Brady came to Tampa. Not to ease into anything. Not to build, slowly and steadily. Brady left the Patriots after 20 years for the sun of Florida, not to retire but to stay active and get another team to the promised land.
Brady did his thing, but the Bucs are going to have to be much better to get Brady to his 10th Super Bowl. For a stretch, the Bucs were unable to corral Taylor Heinicke, the unknown newcomer who made a name for himself with his guile for Washington.
Favored by more than a touchdown on the road, the Buccaneers did just enough, outlasting the sub-.500 Washington Football Team 31-23 at FedEx Field. Brady moves on, as usual, after the Bucs notched their first playoff victory since 2002.
Brady completed just 22 of 40 passes, but he got the ball down the field for 381 yards and fired a 36-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown late in the first quarter and a 27-yard scoring pass to Chris Godwin early in the second quarter. Leonard Fournette, carrying the load with Ronald Jones out with a quad injury, ran 19 times for 93 yards. The Bucs, though, settled for field goals on their first three trips inside the red zone and missed on a two-point conversion attempt.
“Washington had a lot of fight in ’em,’’ Brady said. “We had opportunities to pull away and just couldn’t do it. Certainly a lot to improve on.’’
Heinicke, making his second NFL start at the age of 27, was a dervish, making plays with his arm and especially his legs. His stunning 8-yard touchdown scramble, reaching out to hit the pylon with a head-first dive, brought Washington within 18-16 with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Just when the Bucs were challenged, Brady heated up. He found Mike Evans for 20 yards and then, after side-stepping pressure in the pocket, hit Evans for 19 yards to the Washington 3-yard line. Fournette powered in for the touchdown and order was restored, with the Bucs ahead 28-16 with 9:11 to go.
Heinicke (26 of 44, 306 yards) had to hit the locker room to have his shoulder checked out, returned and gutted out a 75-yard drive, expertly lofting a pass to Steven Sims for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:51 remaining.
The Link LonkJanuary 10, 2021 at 12:04PM
https://nypost.com/2021/01/10/tom-brady-leads-buccaneers-past-washington-but-it-wasnt-easy/
Tom Brady leads Buccaneers past Washington, but it wasn't easy - New York Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=easy&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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