Whatever got into Tom Brady – payback, desperation, a flashback – sure came in the nick of time on Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staring at a complete disaster.
Brady put the Bucs on his back when they needed nothing less to overcome a 14-nothing hole against the Carolina Panthers to clinch another NFC South crown with a 30-24 victory. He beat Father Time again and put up his first 400-yard game of the season, 432 to be exact. For the first time in five games, he didn’t throw an interception. And he struck gold again with Mike Evans, finally, connecting for three long touchdowns…which goes far in explaining the season-best 127.3 passer rating.
“Tom was just dropping dimes,” gushed Evans, who scored for the first time since Week 4.
Still, given the pattern of inconsistency we’ve seen all season from the Bucs (8-8), it’s fair to wonder:
Was that a sign of things to come in the NFC playoffs or some sort of curtain call?
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The Bucs are in but still need to hit another gear to avoid a one-and-done playoff appearance, having dodged another potential upset to the Panthers a week after escaping an embarrassing loss at Arizona.
Sure, nothing is a given in the wild, wild NFL. If a team gets hot at the right time…
And this is a team with the biggest Super Bowl winner ever in the 45-year-old Brady. Just when you think that you can count him out, Brady has a way of writing another page to his legend. Yet even as Brady keeps showing vitality in his arm and is leading the NFL in pass attempts and completions, that is not the formula to be banked on the deeper it gets into January. It’s going to take a lot more than 400-yard games from TB12 if the Bucs are to beat Dallas (or Philadelphia) in the playoff opener and then hit the road as legitimate contenders.
Brady is flanked by a running game that ranks dead-last in the NFL. Huge issue. The Bucs averaged 2.7 yards per carry (25 rushes, 67 yards) against the Panthers. Of course, we’ve seen Leonard Fournette take on an alter ego, “Playoff Lenny,” the past two Januarys. But Fournette revealed last week that he’s been playing with a Lisfranc foot injury. With promising rookie Rashaad White in the mix, Bucs coordinator Byron Leftwich might create something of a substitute rushing attack by using the backs as outlets in the short passing game. But that probably doesn’t replace the reliability that comes with a team being able to run the ball when they need it.
Then again, the Bucs also know there are worse predicaments than putting the chips on Brady.
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Discovering the deep passing game with Evans on Sunday (10 catches, 207 yards) was so significant. They’ve missed so much during the course of the season to connect with the deep heaves that used to be the hallmark of former coach Bruce Arians’ “no risk-it, no biscuit” philosophy.
“I’ve missed him too many times this year,” Brady told reporters. “So it was nice to connect. Hopefully, we can keep that going.”
Remember the last time they played the Panthers? Evans dropped a deep ball early and it was an omen for a nightmarish game that resulted in the Bucs not scoring as much as a touchdown in their worst offensive performance of the season. The correction on Sunday fuels hope and confidence, but moving forward, it must be bolstered by consistency. Against better competition.
Brady knows. The Bucs have played with fire too often this season. He lamented some of the challenges by category – in the red zone, on third downs, in long-yardage, on short-yardage.
“Statistically, we have not done a lot of things well,” he said. “Everything needs to be cleaned up. That’s the reality of where it’s at.”
Defense wins championships? Actually, it’s complementary football that wins. And on a day when the Bucs twice wound up inside the Carolina 10-yard line and couldn’t score a touchdown – settling for a field goal and having a field goal attempt blocked – it helped that Todd Bowles’ defense collected three turnovers.
But the consistency theme applies across the board. Just like Brady’s offense, the sixth-ranked defense hasn’t always lived up to its reputation – especially against the type of competition it will see in the playoffs.
In Tampa Bay’s last two losses, earlier in December, it allowed 34 points to the Bengals and 35 to the 49ers. In winning against the Panthers, the Bucs gave up 400 yards and again exhibited a pattern of allowing too many big plays – including three completions of at least 30 yards -- to be desired.
Maybe the Bucs are poised to put it all together for another deep playoff run that features the drama of whether Brady can find his way back to another Super Bowl. They have certainly demonstrated resilience, during the season and in games like they encountered on Sunday.
Or perhaps it’s a mirage and the Bucs are destined for a one-and-done playoff cameo.
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