The Tampa Bay Buccaneers already had history on their side – two resounding regular season losses to the New Orleans Saints. Who beats any team three times in one season in the NFL?
They have arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history in Tom Brady, AKA, the GOAT or TB12. Who beats Tom Brady three times in one season?
The 30-20 sequestering of the Saints on Sunday was obviously an easy postulation, so now the Buccaneers head to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field for the NFC Championship Game on Sunday and a rematch with the Green Bay Packers, who they destroyed, 38-10 in Tampa in Week Six.
Conventional wisdom says that a Florida team going into a cold weather environment where it’s supposed to show a high of 29 degrees with snow in Green Bay on Sunday. But, keep in mind that Brady quarterbacked the six-time world champion New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass. for 20 seasons and knows all about the cold and January playoffs with so much on the line.
It’s a given that he has spent lots of time prepping the younger Buccaneers on how to psychologically handle the cold in such a climate, especially a thriving ball-hawking defense that picked Rodgers off twice in scoring 38 unanswered points in the earlier win.
That astounding defense brought Tampa Bay out of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, which wrecked Saints quarterback Drew Brees in forcing four turnovers – three of which were Brees’ interceptions – resulting in a 30-20 win over the floundering Saints.
Linebacker Devin White, who was fresh off the COVID-19 list, had a Hall of Fame-esque game with 11 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in staggering a New Orleans offense that only gained 294 total yards all afternoon.
“The thing of the game is that if you take the ball away more than you give it away, you win the game,” said White. “All we want to do is win the game. We knew that was going to have to come. We knew we were up for the challenge.”
Antoine Winfield, Jr., had another big game alongside White and linebacker Lavonte’ David. Winfield turned the momentum back in the Buccaneers favor in the middle of the third quarter when he stripped tight end Jared Cook, who had an 8-yard catch before Winfield made his play. White recovered and set up the Buccaneers on the New Orleans 40-yard line.
This set up a 5-play, 40-yard touchdown drive where Brady found Leonard Fournette on a 6-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 20-20 with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
“Coming in, we were going to play man-to-man, get on them, not let them get going and not let (Brees) dink and dunk,” said Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians. “Get after him; get off the spot and make him throw on the move.”
White slammed the door on the Saints in the fourth quarter. Brees was attempting to throw to Alvin Kamara when there was a mix-up between the two because it looked like Brees was looking for Kamala to run a curl in the short zone. Instead, Kamala looked to be running deep in the seam.
White had dropped into that short zone and picked up the interception, returning it 28 yards to the New Orleans 20-yard line. It set up Brady’s one-yard run which locked the door on the Saints and pushed Tampa Bay into a chance to play for a Super Bowl berth on its home field at Raymond James Stadium.
“Devin is a baller,” summarized defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting, who had an early interception. “He’s just known for making plays. He was the energy bug out there and that kind of energy is contagious. It runs through our entire defense and it runs through our entire team.”
Brees never got comfortable or found a rhythm as he threw for 134 yards and three picks. The Buccaneers defense was all inclusive for 60 minutes and stymied star wide receiver Michael Thomas who was only targeted four times with no catches.
“It’s all a team effort,” said White. “I think the number one thing is Todd Bowles said, ‘We’re going to be feisty; we’re going to challenge those guys’ and he’s going to take us over them. I said the same thing.”