Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)
The first rule of playing Tom Brady is never to give him the chance to lead a comeback. The Saints broke that rule and paid for it on Monday Night Football.
For 57 minutes, the Saints looked ready to beat the Bucs and keep the door open for the NFC South.
In three minutes, Tom Brady said not so fast.
The quarterback led Tampa Bay to an unlikely victory with a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback. He scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes, including one to Rachaad White with three seconds remaining to win.
Best tweets and memes after Tom Brady led another incredible comeback
It was classic Brady and NFL Twitter had plenty to say about it.
Brady and the offense were ineffective for most of the game. He even had a viral moment of screaming on the sideline in frustration after a punt to start the fourth quarter. Shortly after that, the Saints kicked a field goal to go up 16-3.
When Tampa Bay punted again following the score, it really felt like that was that. The Bucs looked destined for a loss and their fans even booed to show their dissatisfaction.
But Brady is still Brady and he’s still clutcher-than-clutch. He now has the most fourth-quarter game-winning drives in NFL history. He was tied at 43 with Peyton Manning. This latest one broke the tie and put him alone at the top.
The Saints had been Brady’s nemesis in the regular season and they were that close to adding another win over the future Hall of Famer. Instead, Brady notched his second win of the season over New Orleans to move his team to 6-6 on the year.
The NFC South is still far from clinched but 6-6 has to feel a whole lot better than 5-7 with the Falcons and Saints looming at 5-8.
