Tom Brady Once Again Leads Unbelievable Comeback Vs. Falcons, Hitting Antonio Brown For Game-Winning Touchdown
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Oh no.
Tom Brady has done it again to the Atlanta Falcons.
The quarterback who helped cement his legacy as the greatest of all time with a 28-3 comeback against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI once again delivered a come-from-behind victory against Atlanta on Sunday.
The 43-year-old threw for an absurd 390 yards, completing 31 of his 45 passes while throwing two touchdowns with zero interceptions. That performance gets him to the brink of 4,000 passing yards (he'll need just 114 yards over his final two games to reach that mark) and bumped his passing touchdown total up to 32, matching his touchdown total from his MVP season of 2017.
Just like he did in that Super Bowl vs. Atlanta, Brady outdueled Matt Ryan, who was impressive himself, going 34-for-49 for 356 yards with three touchdowns and no picks.
The stakes for this game were slightly lower than the historic Patriots win in Super Bowl LI, but it was nevertheless significant. Brady and the Buccaneers trailed 17-0 at halftime, unable to do much of anything against a 4-9 Falcons team.
Yet Brady, on the field in Atlanta for the first time since winning Super Bowl LIII for the Patriots two seasons ago, helped lead the Buccaneers all the way back in relatively rapid fashion.
The Buccaneers scored three touchdowns on three possessions in the third quarter, embarking on drives of 80 yards, 75 yards, and 76 yards. Leonard Fournette scored a pair of touchdowns, but the comeback was largely fueled by Tampa's defense and Brady's arm.
That furious charge cut Atlanta's lead to 24-21, and it was all Tampa from that point forward.
The Bucs' offense stalled in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, but a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Succop tied the score at 24-24. The Falcons took a three-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Brady hit Antonio Brown on a 46-yard bomb to put the Bucs ahead 31-27 with 6:25 left to play.
The throw was the picture of perfection.
Brown had five receptions for 93 yards and the touchdown, by far his best game since joining the Bucs midseason.
The Buccaneers' defense came up with some big plays on the following drive, notably with Devin White sacking Matt Ryan for a loss of 11 yards on a third-and-12.
The Falcons' defense actually came up with a stop of its own on Tampa's next possession, sacking Brady for an eight-yard loss on a second-and-8.
But Ryan and the Falcons couldn't convert a fourth-and-16 on the ensuing possession, as Calvin Ridley was tackled three yards shy of the first-down marker, leading to a turnover on downs.
Fournette was credited with picking up the necessary yardage on the third-and-2 that followed for the Bucs, allowing Brady to take a knee to seal a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Falcons.
Brady spread the ball around rather ridiculously, as well. He completed at least three passes to eight different receivers, with Evans leading the way at six receptions for 110 yards. As a team, the Buccaneers rushed for just 51 yards on the day.
Brady was 10-for-16 for 70 yards in the first half before completing 21 of 29 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. According to ESPN, that performance marked the most passing yards by any quarterback in the second half of any game in the NFL this season.
The game was not short on dramatics, but the victory added in the win column for the Buccaneers remained the most important aspect for Brady's team. The Buccaneers are now 9-5, making them a virtual lock for the postseason with two weeks to play. And with dates against Detroit (5-9) and Atlanta left on the docket, the Bucs have a real shot at finishing the year at 11-5.
The Saints, who entered Sunday at 10-3, won't be relenting the NFC South crown to Tampa. Yet with the NFL changing its format to only give one team from each conference a first-round bye, the field appears to be open to wild-card teams making Super Bowl runs like never before.
Obviously, for a franchise that hasn't made the postseason since 2007, the comeback gives the Buccaneers one of their best victories in a long, long time. And for Matt Ryan and the Falcons? Well, they likely never want to see Tom Brady again.
Unfortunately for them -- and fortunately for the viewers at home -- we'll all get to see it again in a couple of weeks.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
