The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent Christmas in Glendale but got their Christmas wish granted: A victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16. The two clubs capped off the NFL's first-ever triple-header at State Farm Stadium and the clash came down to the wire. In overtime, Ryan Succop's fourth field goal of the game, a 40-yarder in overtime, sealed the win for Tampa Bay. In a tight NFC South division race with two games left in the regular season, the Bucs improved to 7-8 with the win, creating cushion over the 6-9 Panthers and Falcons.
Despite an overall lackluster game for the Buccaneers, the team rallied in a late-game comeback, once again. Trailing by 10 with 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady led a seven-play, 67-yard drive. An explosive 44-yard catch and run by Leonard Fournette set up the team's first and only score of the night. Brady finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to rookie Rachaad White from third-and-goal. On the ensuing defensive drive, Will Gholston recovered a botched pitch between Trace McSorley and Keaontay Ingram near midfield, which led to the field goal drive, tying the game at 16.
"In the fourth quarter, we executed pretty well, broke some tackles, ran hard, a lot of guys made plays in the pass game, contested catches, guys hit as soon as they caught it and came up with it," Tom Brady assessed. "The defense really stepped up. Down 10 in the fourth quarter on the road, it was a good way to find a win."
Game-Winning Drive in Overtime
Despite early miscues by the Buccaneers' offense and an ineffectiveness in the red zone, in short-yardage and on third down, Tampa Bay once gain pulled off late-game theatrics for the win on Christmas. Brady led a masterful nine-play, 66-yard drive. He went 6-6, culminating in the Ryan Succop game-winning 40-yarder through the uprights. After two short passes produced a first down, Brady hit Gage off a pump fake down the left sideline for a gain of 23 yards. A 16-yard pass to Evans made it a first down at the Arizona 13, which was paved by Fournette's pickup of both the A and B-gap blitzers. Then, Brady connected with Gage on a screen for 13 additional yards against the Cardinals' off-coverage. The Bucs then ran it twice prior to the game-sealing kick in overtime. The offense looked out of sorts for most of the Week 16 showdown, however, in crunch time, the unit pulled off a thrilling upset.
Play of the Day: Fourth-Quarter Lenny
Early in the fourth quarter, Leonard Fournette led the longest play of the day. From first and ten, Fournette caught a pass from Brady and quickly accelerated as Chris Godwin, Russell Gage Jr. and Cade Otton cleared a lane with crack blocks in space. Fournette quickly got north after eluding a tackle for a 44-yard gain. That explosive play built confidence for Tampa Bay and led to the team's sole touchdown of the day. When the Bucs were desperate for a spark, Fournette stepped up with a timely catch-and-run. Prior to the play, the Bucs' longest of the night was 12 yards.
Defensive Surge
Tampa Bay's defense predominately imposed their will on Sunday night. The Cardinals first four possessions resulted in a fumble (12 plays, 55 yards), punt (three plays, two yards), a field goal (five plays, 23 yards) and another punt (three plays, -1 yard). Todd Bowles' crew only allowed one touchdown on the night, which was a result of gifted favorable field position off a Bucs' special teams gaffe. Third-string quarterback Trace McSorley made his NFL starting debut and the Bucs' defense kept the young signal-caller off balance. McSorley completed 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards. He was picked off by Keanu Neal on the last-ditch Hail Mary pass as time expired in regulation.
Lavonte David spearheaded the unit with 10 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass defensed. His instincts became the catalyst, as he consistently blew up passes to the flats and undercut passes over the middle of the field. David was repeatedly in on tackles, showcasing his change-of-direction skills. Anthony Nelson recorded the team's lone sack – he dropped back in coverage on third down to force the punt. Devin White, David's running mate and formidable blitzer, amassed three quarterback hits and Sean Murphy-Bunting tallied two pass break-ups, both of which came on third down. The defensive play energized the team and fostered hope. With their dominance, the Bucs were never out of the fight.
