Brady, Bucs Hang On To Beat Packers, Punch Ticket To Super Bowl LV In Home Stadium
GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- Tom Brady is heading back to the Super Bowl.
Un-be-lievable.
Brady had to sweat out this title game -- his first in the NFC -- but ultimately, the 43-year-old quarterback outlasted counterpart Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, leading the Buccaneers to a 31-26 win over the Packers. In doing so, the Bucs punched their ticket to Super Bowl LV.
For Brady, it will mark his 10th Super Bowl appearance. He is 6-3 in the sport's grandest game.
In this one, Brady was great in the first half and terrible in the second half, when he threw three interceptions. But the Tampa defense held strong against Aaron Rodgers, limiting the Packers to 26 points.
Brady was 20 for 36 for 280 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Rodgers was 33 for 38 for 346 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Brady got the Bucs out to an early lead on the opening drive, converting three third downs, the last of which was a 15-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans.
The Packers tied the game early in the second quarter, when Marquez Valdez-Scantling broke free from Carlton Davis' coverage for a 50-yard catch-and-run.
Leonard Fournette regained the lead for the visitors when he broke off a 20-yard touchdown run later in the second quarter.
Bruce Arians got a bit daring late in the first half, when his team led 14-10. First, Arians called a timeout after a Jason Pierre-Paul sack with 34 seconds left in the half. That timeout call tempted fate, as it gave Aaron Rodgers and the Packers an extra chance to drive for a score.
Yet on the next play, Sean Murphy-Bunting got away with an obvious hold of Allen Lazard before picking off a Rodgers pass. That turnover looked like it would be inconsequential, as Brady threw incomplete on the subsequent third down and headed to the sideline.
But Arians called another timeout, sending his offense onto the field for a fourth-and-4 with 13 seconds left in the half. Brady completed a 6-yard pass to Fournette, leaving 8 seconds on the clock. It was then that the Bucs took one last show at the end zone. Brady didn't miss.
The 21-10 deficit was significant for the Packers, and it only got worse when Aaron Jones fumbled on the Packers' opening drive of the second half.
On the Bucs' first play after the turnover, Brady threw a touchdown to Cameron Brate to make it a 28-10 lead for Tampa.
The Packers got right back into the game after that, though. Rodgers led a touchdown drive, capped off with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Robert Tonyan to cut Tampa's lead to 28-17.
Brady then threw an ill-advised interception, leading to another Green Bay scoring drive. This one ended with a Rodgers touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
A two-point conversion attempt failed, due to a drop by Equanimeous St. Brown, leaving the score at 28-23 for the Bucs.
Tampa was in position to score again, but Brady threw high to Evans, who deflected the pass into the air. Jaire Alexander picked it off at the Green Bay 3-yard line.
The Bucs' defense came up with a stop after that, with Shaq Barrett sacking Rodgers on third down to force a punt.
Brady then threw another pick, this one in a bit of a prayer while avoiding a third-down sack. Tampa's defense once again forced a Green Bay punt.
Thanks to a 29-yard screen to Rob Gronkowski, the Bucs got into field goal range. Ryan Succop drilled a 46-yarder through the cold to stretch Tampa's lead to 31-23.
Green Bay took over at its own 34-yard line with 4:33 left in the game, needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the score. The Packers nearly got there, driving to the Tampa Bay 8-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal with 2:05 remaining.
That proved to be the final blow for the Packers, as the Buccaneers picked up a first down on a pass interference penalty on the ensuing drive. Brady was able to kneel out the rest of the clock after that.
The Buccaneers now have two weeks to get ready for Super Bowl LV, becoming the first team to ever play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium.
