Get your popcorn ready!!!
This week in the annals of Tampa Bay Buccaneers football couldn’t have even been dreamed by a movie producer.
The trials and tribulations of the injuries of this team throughout the season were again underscored with linebackers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul still nursing injuries as they were out again on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, but was cleared on Saturday and he was able to fly to New York with the team for the battle with the Jets. Arians had only mild symptoms and the NFL and the other sports leagues updated their covid protocols respective to COVID-19 which was reasonable due to the nature of the omicron variant.
In addition, defensive backs Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting barely made it to New York to play against the Jets as the game had already started with the Jets already leading, 7-0, when they entered.
Then in the third quarter, troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown quit on the Bucs and exited MetLife Stadium, taking off his jersey and pads and throwing them at the bench. Then he took off his undershirt and gloves before throwing up the Peace sign to the crowd and exiting through the tunnel.
And by the way, the Bucs trailed for 59:45 on Sunday before quarterback Tom Brady threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cyril Grayson with 15 seconds remaining as the Bucs came from 14 points down to defeat the Jets, 28-24.
Just Win, Baby!: This was a must-win for the Buccaneers as they wanted to keep in line for at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC. With all of the upheaval and chaos, it stood to reason that Sunday’s game would be more of a challenge than maybe anyone expected.
Tom Brady completed 34 of 50 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns as he drove the Bucs 93 yards in nine plays which he capped off with the game-winner to Grayson. The sprinter from LSU followed up last week’s 81 receiving yards in Carolina with the game-winning catch. He had six catches for 81 yards.
“The only thing was sticking together – everybody putting their hand in at that time to do whatever we needed to do to win,” said Grayson. “I guess I was the lucky one who gets a little bit of the credit because I scored, but everybody did their job and we got the ‘W’ at the end.”
The craziness of the day lent to the game itself as New York dictated the game for the entirety of the afternoon.
Quarterback Zach Wilson hit Braxton Berrios with a 9-yard touchdown pass after he had scored on a one-yard run. Then, Ty Johnson pushed the Jets’ lead to 24-10 with a 1-yard run with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter.
It took a literal GOAT to be able to steer this ship with the team trailing by two touchdowns after the chaotic week.
Brady drove the Buccaneers 13 plays in 75 yards as he hit Cameron Brate on a 4-yard TD pass with 29 seconds remaining in the third. This preceded a 29-yard Ryan Succop Field goal with 7:36 to play which cut the deficit to 24-20.
Rob Gronkowski was in the middle of the comeback finishing with seven catches for 105 yards.
“The majority of NFL games go down to the last second – many, many games do,” said Gronkowski. “You have to play 60 minutes and that’s what we did. We stuck together as a team.”
The Jets tried to put the game away just before the two-minute warning, but Joe Tyron-Shoyinka and Antoine Winfield stopped quarterback Zach Wilson for no gain on a 4th-and-2 at the Buccaneers 7-yards line.
Outside of the 33-yard connection from Brady-to-Grayson, this was clearly the biggest play of the game.
“The defense the whole time was fighting, fighting, fighting,” said Tyron-Shoyinka. “The line got a great push, stuffed the quarterback and I just came off the edge unblocked and helped out on the tackle.”
Plane Problems: Dean and Murphy-Bunting were cleared to come off of the COVID-19 list. An airplane was ready to fly them into New York, but …. the pilot tested positive and couldn’t fly the duo to the game.
Dean said the situation was so bizarre that he felt like they were being pranked.
It took a couple of hours to find a pilot and then after taking off at 9:40 am, it took almost three hours to get to the airport in New Jersey. Weather problems caused the airplane to fly through Ohio and across to find the airport.
It also included a wild ride to the stadium.
“We were literally just weaving through traffic trying to get to the stadium,” said Dean. “Granted, once he said, ‘Hey, you guys, I’m letting you know it’s going to be a rough ride because I got to keep up with the police.’”
Once the two got to MetLife Stadium, Dean said as they were coming in to put on their uniforms, the Buccaneers were taking the field.
“We’re still trying to warm up and as the game keeps going. I’m like, ‘Wow, this probably is like the first time I haven’t practiced and have to play in the game,’” Dean said. He and Murphy-Bunting had two tackles each.
Brown, Literally Out: Antonio Brown’s exit from the Buccaneers was troubling. The way that he left may have been the most bizarre scenario anyone has ever seen or will ever see.
Some people demean another human being when he or she has erratic behavior out of a lack of care and understanding.
Brown refused to go into the game twice when Arians asked him to enter and then the third time, Arians had enough and told him, “Get out!”
That’s when Brown erupted.
It’s not a situation where people should look down on Brown, but he should be given a helping hand.
Brady, who established a friendship with Brown when he was with the Patriots, won’t relent in that Brown’s issue is something that supersedes the field.
“I think everybody should hopefully do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it,” said Brady. “We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best and unfortunately, it won’t be with our team, but we have a lot of friendships that will last.”
Le’Veon Bell, who was added to the team at running back just before Christmas Day, underscored Brady’s remarks.
“I instantly sent him a text to try and catch up real quick,” said Bell. “He texted me back and I talked to him. He’s still one of my close friends and you won’t hear me talk bad about AB at all. Obviously, I understand things happen, but he’s one of my close friends that I’ve been around.”
