TAMPA, Fla. – Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t flinch.
Down one point with 1:24 to go in the first game of the NFL’s 2021 season, the reigning Super Bowl champions were confident their 44-year-old quarterback would find a way to win again Thursday night.
It’s simply what Brady, who threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys, does.
“There was no doubt that we’re going to win the game with him,” coach Bruce Arians said. “It’s just who’s going to make plays.”
With seats in an NFL stadium filled to full capacity for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Ryan Succop’s 36-yard field goal with two seconds remaining provided the winning points. Brady set it up with a last-minute drive directed on the same field where Tampa Bay became the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium seven months ago, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.