Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady displayed the form that made him the greatest of all time (GOAT) as he led his team to a come-from-behind 28-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The 44-year-old Brady engineered a 9-play, 93-yard drive with less than three minutes left in the game that he capped with a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cyril Grayson.
Running back Le'Veon Bell put the icing on the win when he completed a two-point conversion as the Buccaneers improved to 12-4 on the season. With an interception, Brady completed 34 of 50 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns as he improved his career record against the Jets to 31-8, including playoffs.
Tom Brady signs a football for a Jets player 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/GuNeD6I9Xg
— alex (@highlghtheaven) January 2, 2022After the game, Jets rookie defensive back Brandin Echols, who intercepted Brady's pass just before halftime, approached the veteran quarterback and asked him to sign the interception ball. Brady gave in to the rookie's request and signed the ball. After signing the ball, Brady also shared some words with Echols, who finished the game with his second career interception, four tackles, and a pass defended.
Earlier, Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins warned his teammates about being starstruck by Brady's presence. Buccaneers rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, for his part, said he's speechless after witnessing how Brady led the comeback win.
"Man, I'm kind of speechless at this point. He's amazing. There's a reason he's the GOAT," said Tryon-Shoyinka, per a tweet by Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times.
Rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on witnessing a Brady comeback firsthand: "Man, I'm kind of speechless at this point. He's amazing. There's a reason he's the GOAT." #Bucs
— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) January 2, 2022Arians explains the incident with Brown
The Buccaneers' victory was marred by wide receiver Antonio Brown leaving the field in the third quarter and never returning to the game.
After the win, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians announced that Brown is not part of the team anymore after his action.
In an interview with Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Arians explained what transpired before Brown took off his jersey and shoulder pads before heading towards the locker room.
According to Arians, he asked Brown to get into the game, but the wide receiver refused.
He again tried to tell Brown to enter the game, but he refused anew, so he told him to get out. When asked by Glazer if he saw Brown take his jersey off, Arians replied: "Yeah, I did. Never seen anything like it in all my years." Brown caught three passes for 26 yards before pulling off his latest controversial stunt.
Bucs to cap regular-season campaign vs Panthers
The Buccaneers are already assured of a postseason berth after clinching the NFC South with their 32-6 road win over the Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers will end their campaign against the Panthers on Sunday to improve their seeding come playoff time. If they win over the Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, the Buccaneers will take over the No. 2 spot, which will assure them of another second home game in the postseason.
