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The New Orleans Saints won the toss and postponed, putting the ball in the hands of Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady to start the game.
The Buccaneers began with a transfer to running back Leonard Fournette which earned them a couple. A completion at tight end Cam Brate would give the Bucs the third and short when Brady airs it for tight end Rob Gronkowski. The ball came out just from his fingertips and the Bucs were forced to clear.
New Orleans, in turn, started immediately with a 54-yard punt return by Deonte Harris who put the Saints well in Buccaneer territory. A questionable personal foul penalty on Jordan Whitehead would give New Orleans the first and the goal, but the defense would rise and keep them in the basket, taking the score to 3-0 with 11:30 a.m. left in the first quarter.
The Bucs would suffer another three and one out after a big sack from Brady in third and six. The punt was returned once more by Deonte Harris, who took it to the end zone before a New Orleans flag for an illegal blocking at the back brought the ball back to the 30 yard line.
It was a long drive for New Orleans, covering 12 plays for 46 yards in 5:07, but they were stranded on the 24-yard line, in part thanks to a third pass break on the line by the outside linebacker. Jason Pierre-Paul. The Saints were content with one more field goal, this one of 42, to bring the score to 6-0 with 4:39 left in the opening quarter.
Tampa Bay walked the length of the field on their next trip and was finally able to enter Saints territory. They would go all the way to New Orleans’ eight-yard line before clinching. Kicker Ryan Succop was good for 26 yards and the Bucs cut the Saints’ lead in half, 6-3, with 12:57 left in the second quarter.
The Saints started driving again, but this time they couldn’t capitalize on points because cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting took the lead on cover and knocked out Drew Brees. He returned the ball almost all the way to the end zone but was scored at the three-yard line. The first offensive play was a dart for wide receiver Mike Evans in the end zone and the Bucs took the lead, 10-6, with 11:16 left in the second quarter.
The advance was short-lived as the Saints decided to cheat on their next trip. Former Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston checked in and it was Kamara who took a direct photo. He handed the ball to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who then threw it to Winston, who then threw it 56 yards down the field at Tre’Quan Smith for the touchdown. This put the Saints back 13-10 halfway through the second quarter.
The Bucs took over but stammered on the next drive and would eventually play again, returning the ball to the Saints with six and a half minutes remaining on the lock.
This time, the defense would force another punt Saints before they could do much. They brought the ball back to the Bucs attack with two and a half minutes of work before halftime.
The Bucs offense managed to descend onto the pitch but was blocked after a false start penalty. Brady almost had Godwin in the end zone on the second down and 15 on the Saints 29-yard line, but the ball came out when Godwin hit the ground. Third and 15 and Brady got some extra yards thanks to Brate, who got the Bucs up to 19. From there, Succop threw the field goal for 37 yards and the two teams entered the half tied at 13.
It took more than five minutes and 10 games, but the Saints ran for 75 yards in their first practice of the second period. It ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith for his second of the night, giving the Saints a 20-13 lead with 9:43 left in the third.
The Bucs were unable to respond and instead went three times on their next haul. They were, however, a few minutes late and ceded the ball to New Orleans with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter.
The Tampa Bay defense would come up once again on the next drive. As the Saints gained momentum, Brees hit tight end Jared Cook in the middle who took off with the ball. Rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who had barely missed an interception in the previous game, then kicked the ball out of Cook’s hands where it was later picked up by inside linebacker Devin White. He returned 18 yards, putting the Bucs in first baseline.
It would take a few plays, but the Bucs’ offense was then able to hit it third and five from the six-yard line as Brady hit Fournette for the touchdown, tying the game at 20 with two and a half minutes left. to play. in the third trimester.
Despite another questionable call that went the way of the Saints, the Buccaneer defense held their own on the next leg. They forced New Orleans to kick thanks to back-to-back pass breakups from Jamel Dean and Ross Cockrell. The Bucs offense recovered the ball with just 44 seconds left in the third.
They put in a very well-balanced practice thanks to Jones and a tremendous catch from rookie wide receiver Tyler Johnson and would come close to the Saints 18-yard line. They would have to settle for the basket, but the 36-yard kick would give the Bucs a 23-20 lead with it. 9:52 a.m. to enter the game.
The next possession would end abruptly for the Saints again as none other than Devin White had his pick on Brees in the second and eighth, sending him back 28 yards. The Buccaneer offense then capitalized, hitting a quarterback goaltender by Brady to come up 30-20 with 4:57 left in the ball game.
Then another huge defense play as the ball was flipped in the air on a throw from Brees to Cook and Mike Edwards came down with it. This gave the Bucs the ball back and a few early tries later they were able to take a knee three times in a row and win their trip to the NFC Championship with a final score of 30-20 over the Saints in New Orleans.
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