Once again, quarterback Tom Brady was there to save the day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he engineered a 9-play, 93-yard drive to carry his team to a close 28-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. After forcing the Jets on downs, the 44-year-old Brady capped the game-winning drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cyril Grayson while running back Le’Veon Bell put the finishing touches as he completed a two-point conversion as the Buccaneers improved to 12-4 on the season. When asked about being part of the game-winning drive, Bell said “it felt incredible”, per transcription of his interview posted by the team on YouTube.
Bell glad to be part of game-winning drive
“As composed as he is and accurate and as much leadership, Tom got it. There was really no second guessing i had so much confidence that we're gonna go down there and score so I 'm glad to be a part of it and being the same drive as him,” said Bell, who was recently signed by the Buccaneers after main rusher Leonard Fournette went down with an injury that will force him to miss the rest of the regular season. Bell finished with five yards on three carries and had 3 receptions for 30 yards for the Buccaneers. Brady completed 34 of 50 passes for 410 yards and 3 touchdowns with an interception while tight end Rob Gronkowksi finished with 7 catches for 115 yards, Grayson had 6 catches for 81 yards and a score, Tyler Johnson had 4 catches for 50 yards, Mike Evans had 4 catches for 47 yards and a score while Breshad Perriman had 2 catches for 41 yards for the Buccaneers.
The win improved Brady’s record against the Jets to 31-8, including postseason.
Brown no longer part of Bucs
However, the win was marred by a controversy involving Antonio Brown, who stripping off his jersey before heading into the locker room in the third quarter, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. A report by Florio indicated that Arians asked Brown to enter the game several times but the veteran wideout refused.
After that, Arians told Brown to leave, After the game, Arians said Brown is not a part of the Buccaneers anymore. "He is no longer a Buc," Arians said during his press conference, saying he wanted to talk about the players who won them the game. Before he walked out, Brown had 3 catches for 26 yards. Brady, who brought Brown to the Buccaneers, addressed the issue during his talk with the media.
“We all love him and care about him deeply,” said Brady, adding “everyone should be compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things.” The Buccaneers will close their regular-season campaign on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. "It's great to keep winning," said Arians. "Hopefully we'll come back next week and match the Panthers' energy in the first half.”
