Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to his first postseason win since 2002 when he reached 31 in his career
It took nearly two decades, but eventually the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won again in the postseason..
And in the process, the most winning quarterback in playoff history, Tom Brady, extended his own streak of wins in this instance.
It wasn’t easy, because Washington put up fierce resistance with their defense and unexpected offensive power behind quarterback Taylor Heinecke, who played instead of injured starter Alex Smith.
This was the fifth consecutive win for the Buccaneers and is the fourth in a row in which they surpass the 30 points scored.
But what did we learn from this exciting match between Tampa Bay and Washington? Here are the lessons:
Key moment: Washington came into this game with nothing to lose, really, after winning the weak NFC East with a 7-9 record and the head coach made that clear when he attempted a short kick in the second quarter after to score a touchdown to approach 9-7. Had he recovered the ball, the mood would have been for the Washington Football Team, but that didn’t happen, the Buccaneers recovered the ball and advanced to score and put themselves up 15-7.
Key figure: Leonard Fournette. The Buccaneers runner was charged with a ground attack that ended with 142 yards, of which 93 were thanks to Fournette’s 19 carries, which contributed to a touchdown. Fournette also had four receptions for 39 yards, which contributed to Washington’s defense thinking twice before stacking the box when he was in the backfield.
The key statistics: 31. Brady extended his playoff win record to 31, nearly double his closest pursuer, his childhood idol Joe Montana, who was 16. Brady also set a record for more wins as a visitor by a quarterback in the playoffs with 9 p.m., breaking the tie he had with Joe Flacco, who is eight.
The following: The Buccaneers have to wait for what will be their next rival for the Divisional Round, in the morning the Los Angeles Rams surprised the Seattle Seahawks and on Sunday the New Orleans Saints, seeded at No. 2 in the National Conference, host the Chicago Bears .
Washington has a big question mark in the quarterback position. After the Dwayne Haskins Jr. cut. the team is looking for their future quarterback. Due to age, health and especially salary cap, it is very likely that Smith is not the answer and Heinecke must first earn the title.