Let the Tom Brady offseason speculation begin.
Will he retire? Will he resign with the Buccaneers? Will he resurface with the Raiders, Titans or 49ers?
Will he return to the Patriots??
Anything is possible after Brady and the Bucs lost 31-14 to the Cowboys in Monday’s wild-card game. Brady doffed his hat to the crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa as he ran off the field for what might be the last time.
“I’m going to go home and get a good night’s sleep, do the best I can tonight,” Brady told reporters after the game when asked about what’s next. “This has been a big focus in this game. So, yeah. It’s just going to be one day at a time, really.”
He might have started filling out his retirement papers at halftime after he was shutout in the first half of a playoff game for the first time since the 2001 playoffs, his first postseason start, also known as the “Game of the Game.” tuck rule”.
It was apparent early on that the Bucs’ offense was going to struggle, going three-and-out on each of their first two drives of the game.
Brady then orchestrated a promising 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended with his first red zone interception as a Buccaneers. On second and goal from the 5-yard line, Brady was intercepted in the back of the end zone by Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse on the first play of the second quarter. Brady told reporters after the game that he was trying to throw the ball but he didn’t have enough.
“That certainly didn’t help our cause,” he said.
Brady completed just 11 of 23 passes for 96 yards in the first half as the Bucs managed seven first downs on five drives.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who entered with a career playoff win to Brady’s 35, countered with 209 first-half passing yards along with two passing and one rushing touchdowns as Dallas built an 18–0 halftime lead (kicker Brett Maher missed all three of his first half extra point attempts).
Brady didn’t get the Bucs on the board until the last play of the third quarter when he connected with Julio Jones for a 30-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 24-6.
Brady toppled Chris Godwin on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt as the Cowboys got away with a defensive call in the end zone.
With Tampa Bay at the Dallas 2-yard line while trailing 31-6 in the fourth quarter, Johnathan Hankins sacked Brady for a nine-yard loss and then nearly tackled him again on fourth down before throwing the ball away on a fumble. in casualties
Brady added a late eight-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate and followed it up with a successful two-point conversion to Mike Evans to make it 31-14 with just over two minutes remaining. After the Bucs recovered an onside kick, Brady barely missed Evans with a deep pass down the sideline during Tampa Bay’s final threat.
Brady went 35 of 66 for 351 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in what was the second most lopsided playoff loss of his career.
“Always tough, but we didn’t earn it, they did it,” Brady said. “I think there’s a part of football where sometimes you get lucky, but most of the time the team that wins it wins.”
It was also Brady’s first loss to the Cowboys in his 23-year career, leaving the Vikings, Buccaneers and Patriots as the teams yet to beat him. He entered with a 7-0 record against Dallas, a 5-0 record with the Patriots and a 2-0 record with the Bucs, including a 19-3 road win in the 2022 season opener.
What followed was a disappointing season for the Bucs, who went 8-9 as Brady finished with a losing record for the first time in his career. He was capped with a disappointing cameo in the playoffs, after which Brady walked off the field for what might be the last time in a Buccaneers jersey. Or any T-shirt, for that matter.
Brady, who turns 46 in August, will become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He will have decisions to make and options to choose from, including a 10-year, $375 million contract with FOX Sports that awaits him “immediately” after he is done playing.
Brady thanked the Tampa media after the game during what could be a sendoff.
“I love this organization, it’s a great place to be,” Brady said. “Thank you all for welcoming me back. All of you regulars, I am very grateful for the respect, and I hope I have returned the same to you. So, thank you very much.”
Source: news.google.com