Brady: With victory over the Panthers, Bucs can win NFC South
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Little has come easy this season for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite their difficulties, however, they can still be NFC South Champions and win a home playoff game against Carolina Panthers.
“It always means something when you’re playing for something at the end of the year,” coach Todd Bowles said after the Bucs (7-8) rallied to retain a one-game lead in the division with a 19-16 overtime victory at Arizona.
“You want to play good December football and you want to be playing meaningful games,” Bowles added. “Next week, they need it and we need it, so it’s going to be a good battle.”
If the Bucs were to fall behind by a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against Cardinals, they could be eliminated this weekend at Tampa Bay’s Carolina matchup. Carolina won a previous meeting 21-3.
As it stands, a win against the Panthers (6-9) will give the Bucs consecutive division titles. This is the first time that this has happened in the history of the franchise.
A loss won’t knock Tampa Bay out of contention, however Carolina would pull even in the standings and be in a position to claim its first NFC South title since 2015 with a win the following week at New Orleans.
“This team has a lot of resilience,” said Brady, who rebounded from playing poorly while Arizona built a 16-6 lead to tie the score in the closing minutes of regulation and then orchestrate the 58th game-winning drive of his career in overtime.
“We fight hard — 7-8, that’s not where we want to be,” Brady added. “But we’ve got a chance to win a championship game next week.”
WHAT’S WORKING
The Bucs are last among 32 teams that have failed to consistently run the ball, placing them in the bottom half of the league. The Bucs’ RB Leonard Fournette was a bright spot against Arizona. He ran for 72 yards, and gained 90 more on nine receptions. Rachaad White, a rookie RB, made the most of his limited opportunities. He averaged 5 yards per carry and caught four passes for 17 yards.
WHAT HELPS ARE NEEDED?
The low-scoring Bucs had 396 yards of total offense but only one TD against Cardinals. They were 6 of 17 in third down situations, which is a familiar pattern.
STOCK UP
Russell Gage, wide receiver, signed a free three-year contract worth $30 million last winter. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down for most of his first season in Tampa Bay. He has made a significant improvement over the last three games. Five of his catches were for 65 yards against Cardinals. 55 came in overtime and the second half.
STOCK DOWN
Injuries continue to plague the offensive line. Josh Wells, the backup tackle, has been injured in his knee and is now filling in for Donovan Smith, who was hurt at Arizona. If Smith and Wells aren’t able to play against Carolina, first-year pro Brandon Walton figures to make his first start since Week 3 against Green Bay.
INJURIES
After missing three games with a high ankle injury, RT Tristan Wirfs was able to return against the Cardinals. Bowles said Wirfs aggravated the injury when someone fell on the back on the third-year pro’s ankle. However, it’s too soon to tell how that might impact his availability this week. Smith’s status will be determined later in the week, too.
KEY NUMBER
250 — Brady on Sunday night became the first player in NFL history with 250 career regular-season wins. Adam Vinatieri (221), George Blanda (209) Gary Anderson (201), Jerry Rice (194) round off the top five.
NEXT UP
Tampa Bay hosts Carolina with an opportunity to clinch a division title for only the eighth time in the club’s 47-season history.
“We know the importance of the game,” Bowles said. “That doesn’t have to be harped on.”
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