TAMPA, Fla. – Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heating up at the right time, which is hardly surprising where the 43-year-old quarterback is concerned.
Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion who spent his first 20 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots, passed for 399 yards and four touchdowns Sunday, helping the playoff-bound Bucs clinch the fifth seed in the NFC with a 44-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons to close their NFC South schedule and the regular season.
Tampa Bay (11-5) will travel to the NFC East champion next weekend for its first postseason game in 13 years, but the team’s fourth straight victory may have come with a steep cost. Star receiver Mike Evans left with a left knee injury late in the first quarter against Atlanta (4-12) and did not return.
Evans was hurt one play after a 20-yard catch made him the first player to begin his NFL career with seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He went down trying to make a catch in the end zone and was carted to the locker room after first trying to walk off with assistance from a trainer.
“It meant the world for him to get that record and, then, to have an easy touchdown – the turf was really slick in the end zone,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “It was just a freaky thing. Knock on wood, we don’t think there is any serious damage, but we will know more in the next 24 hours.”