Brady Battered Stafford Clutch In Win

 

By Andrew Rosario

 

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Los Angeles Rams Sunday afternoon, they were looking to get to their second straight NFC championship game, keeping their hopes alive for a second straight Super Bowl appearance. The Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford were looking to show that their win the previous week against the Arizona Cardinals was no fluke. It was Stafford’s first playoff win in is 13 year career. Right from the start, the Rams showed they came to play. Bucs Tom Brady, as he has done in his illustrious career, would not go out without a fight.

 

Tampa Bay got the ball and looked to establish running back Leonard Fournette, who returned after missing the last two regular season games with a hamstring injury. Brady handed off to Fournette the first two plays as he showed no rust gaining a total off 21 yards. 5 plays later, the Rams forced a Tampa Bay punt and then put the first points on the board.

 

 

 

 

Stafford, starting on his own 20, moves the team 10 plays, 82 yards that ended in a 26-yard Matt Gay field goal giving them an early 3-0 lead. Stafford completing 5 passes for 81 yards. It only took the Rams defense 3 plays to get Stafford the ball back after another Bucs punt. Brady misfiring on 2 passes.

 

On their next possession, starting on their own 29, Stafford moved them 40 yards on 9 plays ending in a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kendall Blanton increasing the lead to 10-0. The drive was helped as Tampa’s defensive end Ndamukong Suh was flagged 15-yards for taunting. On Brady’s next drive, he completes 3 passes for 47 yards with tight end Rob Gronkowski on the receiving end for 29 yards. The drive ended in a Ryan Succop 45-yard field goal.

 

Los Angeles strikes quickly the next time they got the ball. They began on their own 40-yard line and 5 plays, 60 yards later, Stafford finds wide receiver Cooper Kupp who turns the pass into a 70-yard touchdown extending the lead to 17-3. Both teams punted on their next possession and frustration crept in on Brady the next time they got the ball. From the shotgun, Brady completes a 8-yard pass to wide receiver Mike Evans. Rams linebacker Vonn Miller hits Brady just as he released the ball drawing blood from Brady’s lip. Brady complains to the ref and is hit with an unsportsmanlike 15-yard penalty. The first in his career. The drive was stalled when Succop missed his 48-yard field goal attempt. The Rams added 3 more points (Gay 40-yard field goal) and looked to add more.

 

With 2:00 before halftime, Brady looks for Gronk. Rams safety Nick Scott steps in front for the interception going out off bounds at the Tampa 31. Stafford gets them down to the Bucs 6-yard line and running back Cam Akers looks like he will run it in the end zone for 6 more points. Akers is hit at the 1-yard line by Bucs safety Antoine Winfield. The ball pops out, Winfield recovers and the play is upheld after it is reviewed by the officials. It would be the first of 4 costly Rams turnovers.

 

Los Angeles began the third quarter with a 20-3 lead as the Rams extended the score to what seemed to be an insurmountable lead (27-3) after Stafford sneaks in from 1-yard out. Brady, as he has done in the past would have none of it.

 

It begins by the Bucs adding 3 after a Succop 31-yard field goal reducing the lead to 27-6. 2 plays later, Stafford connects with Kupp who coughs up the ball after getting hit by Tampa’s cornerback Jamel Dean and recovered by cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. Brady wasted no time. 8 plays and 30 yards later, Fournette rumbles in from 1-yard out for their first touchdown.

 

Up 27-13, going into the last quarter, Tampa would fumble and the Rams returned the favor as the ball was snapped past Stafford who was not looking. The Bucs recovered on their 25-yard line. Tampa failed to capitalize and a Los Angeles 46-yard ield goal attempt (46 yards) is short. With 3:56 seconds left and down by 7, Brady once again showed why he is the goat.

 

It begins when he connects with Evans for a 55-yard touchdown narrowing the lead to 27-20. Three plays later, Suh slams Akers forcing another fumble giving the ball back to Brady (30-54, 1 td, 1 int) with 2.25 left. 8 plays later, Fournette runs it in from 9-yards out as a stunned Rams looked up seeing the score tied at 27. Stafford gets the ball back with .42 seconds on their own 35 when he completes 2 of the biggest passes of his carrer.

 

After getting sacked (Suh) for a loss of 1 yard, Stafford (28-38, 366 yards, 2 td’s) hits Kupp for a gain of 20 yards. He then follows that up with a 44 yard pass to Kupp again to the Bucs 12 yard line. Stafford spikes th ball to stop the clock with .5 seconds left. Gay calmly converts the 30-yard, game winning field goal ending the season of the defending Super Bowl champions.

 

The Los Angeles Rams will now host the San Fransisco 49ers who took out Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The game takes place Sunday, January 30th 6:30est.