Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Hear from Tom Brady and the rest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following Sunday’s last-second win over the Los Angeles Rams
They waited until the last 10 seconds, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a dramatic comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, treating their home crowd at Raymond James Stadium to a 16-13 victory.
Here’s what quarterback Tom Brady, rookie tight end Cade Otton, head coach Todd Bowles and others had to say after the game:
Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Justin Fields | 123-178 | 4 |
| Josh Allen | 205-86 | 2 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 302-5 | 3 |
| Geno Smith | 275-38 | 2 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 446-63 | 2 |
| Running Backs | Rush Receive |
TD |
| Joe Mixon | 22-153 4-58 |
4 |
| Kenneth Walker | 26-109 3-20 |
2 |
| Travis Etienne | 28-109 2-17 |
2 |
| Austin Ekeler | 14-47 7-24 |
2 |
| Derrick Henry | 17-115 | 2 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| Davante Adams | 10-146 | 2 |
| Tyreek Hill | 7-143 | 1 |
| Cooper Kupp | 8-126 | 1 |
| Justin Jefferson | 7-115 | 1 |
| Christian Kirk | 8-76 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Dallas Goedert | 8-100 | 1 |
| Cole Kmet | 5-41 | 2 |
| Cade Otton | 5-68 | 1 |
| T.J. Hockerson | 9-70 | 0 |
| Travis Kelce | 10-106 | 0 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Nick Folk | 2 | 4 |
| Ryan Succop | 1 | 3 |
| Riley Patterson | 3 | 2 |
| Greg Zuerlein | 2 | 2 |
| Jason Myers | 2 | 2 |
| Defense | Sack – TO | TD |
| Patriots | 9-1 | 1 |
| Lions | 1-3 | 0 |
| Cardinals | 2-1 | 1 |
| Jets | 5-2 | 0 |
| Dolphins | 2-0 | 1 |
QB P.J. Walker (CAR) -Benched
RB Aaron Jones (GB) – Ankle
WR Romeo Doubs (GB) – Ankle
WR Christian Watson (GB) – Concussion
TE Evan Engram (JAC) – Back
There were six teams on their bye, but like last week, the list is delightfully small. They say that by midseason, you’ve either been injured already or learned to play through it.
RB Aaron Jones (GB) – Left the loss to the Lions with an ankle injury and wore a boot after the game. Jones jogged back to the locker room and said that he was “a little sore” and did not think it was serious. X-rays were negative, so the hope is that he’ll be able to play this week against the Cowboys.
WR Romeo Doubs (GB) – Injured his ankle and was ruled out of the loss to the Lions. He wore a walking boot and used crutches after the game. There is concern that it may be serious enough that he misses more playing time. Monday tests will confirm the diagnosis. The Packers can ill-afford to lose any of their receivers.
TE Evan Engram (JAC) – Injured his back during the win over the Raiders and did not return to the game. He’ll be evaluated on Monday. Dan Arnold would move up to the starting spot if Engram misses any time.
WR Josh Palmer (LAC) – The Chargers were without Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, so Palmer (8-106) took the primary role and delivered against the Falcons. His ten targets led the Chargers.
WR Cole Kmet (CHI) – While he was a disappointment through Week 7, the talented tight end scored on his two catches for 11 yards in Week 8. Against the Dolphins, Kmet had a career-best game with five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. He was second only to Darnell Mooney in targets.
WR Chase Claypool (CHI) – His first game with the Bears only resulted in two catches for 13 yards, but he was thrown six passes in his debut. The Bears are intent on getting him involved.
QB Baker Mayfield (CAR) – P.J. Walker got the hook at halftime when he only totaled nine yards and two interceptions as a passer. Mayfield entered the game and threw for 155 yards and two scores but the Bengals already led 35-0 and may have let up in the second half. Mayfield threw scores to Terrace Marshall (3-52) and Tommy Tremble (2-11, TD), but D.J. Moore only managed two catches for 24 yards. But he kept his helmet on after both receptions. No word yet on of the change was game-situation or something more.
WR Garrett Wilson (NYJ) – The rookie’s production took a nosedive with Zach Wilson under center, but he caught six passes for 115 yards in Week 8 versus the Pats. On Sunday, he led the Jets with eight catches for 92 yards. He’s not only connecting now with Wilson, but no other Jet gained more than 16 receiving yards in the win over the Bills. Wilson is dominating the receivers.
RB Jeff Wilson (MIA) – He already knew the offense, so Wilson’s first game after being traded saw him lead the backfield with nine runs for 51 yards and he added three catches for 12 yards and a touchdown. The move is already proving a fortunate career move. Raheem Mostert ran for 26 yards and a score on his nine rushes but had no receptions. The Dolphins now have the same committee the 49ers used two years ago.
TE T.J. Hockenson (MIN) – In his first game as a Viking, Hockenson caught all nine targets for 70 yards in the win over the Commanders. That was the second-highest catch total of his career. He was second only to Justin Jefferson in catches and yards. His nine catches led the team. Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook had marginal games as receivers, so Hockenson’s workload will be interesting for the next few weeks.
TE Noah Fant (SEA) – He was part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos, and Fant played a minor role for the first half of the season. Against the Cardinals, he led the team with five receptions for 96 yards that included a 51-yard reception.
WR Ronald Moore (ARI) – The second-year wideout looks to be making a move towards breaking out with 92 yards and a score in Week 8, and then a team-high eight receptions for 69 yards in the loss to the Seahawks. Moore’s ten targets paced the team and were double the five DeAndre Hopkins received.
Rams backfield – Cam Akers returned to the field and that meant that the Rams would rely on a three-man committee to produce their mediocre output. Darrell Henderson (12-56) was the only effective runner while Akers (5-3) and Malcolm Brown (2-9) added nothing.
TE Cade Otton (TB) – The promising rookie already had a couple of games with four catches or more. In the win over the Rams, he led the Buccaneers with five catches for 68 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown with only nine seconds left to play.
RB Raheem Blackshear (CAR) – The Panthers were badly beaten by the Bengals and D’Onta Foreman was limited to only 21 total yards. Blackshear is the kick returner, but they let him play in the second half. He ended up second on the team with four catches for 40 yards and he ran in a fourth-quarter touchdown on his five carries for 13 yards. It was almost entirely during trash time, but these Panthers appear likely to be trailing badly in future games as well. He’s not worth grabbing, but worth tracking in case Foreman is injured. Blackshear was the No. 10 fantasy back for Week 10.
WR Kadarius Toney (KC) – The ex-Giant caught the first pass that Patrick Mahomes threw in the Sunday night game. But he only fielded one more pass and ended with 12 yards. He never saw any more action after the first quarter. It was a small step but at least Toney was able to play and looked healthy.
QB Justin Fields (CHI) – The passing yardage may remain pedestrian and limited, but Fields ended Week 9 as the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback. He passed for 123 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 178 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes in the loss to the Seahawks. It was a career mark in rushing yards and the third time in the last four weeks that he gained at least 80 yards as a runner. It was just as encouraging about his development that he threw scores to Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. And this week, the Bears host the Lions.
Joe Mixon – He’s disappointed fantasy drafters who hoped to latch on to the scoring machine of 2021. And now they have, it just all came in one game instead of being spread out. Mixon was simply unstoppable with 22 runs for 153 yards and four touchdowns, plus four receptions for 58 yards and a fifth score in the win over the Panthers. That’s 51.1 fantasy points and a career game for Mixon.
Salute!
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Geno Smith | 303 | 2 | QB | Matthew Stafford | 163 | 1 |
| RB | Jeff Wilson | 72 | 1 | RB | D’Onta Foreman | 21 | 0 |
| RB | Raheem Blackshear | 53 | 1 | RB | Aaron Jones | 45 | 0 |
| WR | Chris Moore | 45 | 1 | WR | DeVonta Smith | 22 | 0 |
| WR | Terrace Marshall | 53 | 1 | WR | Michael Pittman | 22 | 0 |
| WR | Rondale Moore | 69 | 0 | WR | Mike Evans | 40 | 0 |
| TE | Noah Fant | 96 | 0 | TE | Tyler Higbee | 0 | 0 |
| PK | Nick Folk | 2 XP 4 FG | PK | Mike Badgley | 1 XP | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 125 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 29 | ||||||
Now get back to work…
Thanks to a vintage game-winning drive from the GOAT, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a dramatic win over the Los Angeles Rams
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke a three-game losing streak Sunday with a 16-13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, thanks to a vintage game-winning drive from Tom Brady and the offense in the final minute.
Brady took over on his own 40-yard line with 44 seconds left and no timeouts, marching his group down the field with multiple clutch receptions from wide receiver Scotty Miller and rookie tight end Cade Otton. The GOAT finished it off with a one-yard touchdown pass to Otton with nine seconds left to seal the comeback win.
Sunday’s win marks Tampa Bay’s first over the Rams during the Brady era, and avenges last year’s playoff loss in the divisional round.
Brady finished the game with 280 yards through the air, completing 36 of his 58 passes, and extending his streak of 373 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.
The game-winning drive was the 55th of Brady’s legendary career, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history.
Otton and Miller finished the game as Tampa Bay’s leading receivers, combining for 121 yards on 12 receptions, along with the game-winning score.
Tampa Bay’s defense also delivered a strong performance, holding Matthew Stafford and company in check for most of the night, and getting clutch stops in the fourth quarter when they needed them most. Outside of a 69-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Cooper Kupp in the first half, the Rams offense managed just 137 yards of total offense the rest of the game.
The Bucs improve to 4-5 on the year with the win, and reclaim first-place in the NFC South thanks to a tie-breaker over the 4-5 Atlanta Falcons. The defending Super Bowl champion Rams drop to 3-5 with the loss.
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Watch every play from Tom Brady’s game-winning touchdown drive to beat the Rams in the final seconds Sunday
After managing just three field goals amid continued struggles that have plagued them all season long, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense needed to go 60 yards in 44 seconds with no timeouts to beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
And they did.
It was the Scotty Miller and Cade Otton show as Brady engineered another iconic game-winning drive, just as he’s done so many times throughout his legendary 23-year career.
Brady capped it off with a one-yard touchdown pass to Otton with just nine seconds remaining, breaking a three-game losing streak, and beating the Rams for the first time since the GOAT signed in Tampa Bay back in 2020.
Here’s the game-winning drive:
44 seconds and no timeouts. @TomBrady's 55th career game-winning drive. #LARvsTB pic.twitter.com/mIdMRCMMpz
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2022
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Watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers score a last-second win thanks to a touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Cade Otton
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Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense saved their best for last Sunday, outscoring the Los Angeles Rams 10-0 in the fourth quarter on their way to a 16-13 victory.
After taking over with 44 seconds left and no timeouts, Brady and company quickly marched the ball down the field, finishing it off with a one-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Cade Otton with just nine seconds remaining.
The win breaks a three-game losing streak for the Bucs, and marks Tampa Bay’s first win over the Rams since Brady signed in 2020.
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Check out these fantasy football sleepers for Week 8.
Though only two teams are on a bye this week, fantasy football managers will be scrambling to replace their studs in Week 8.
With the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers getting the week off, finding sleepers to fill those roles will be vital. Whether you’re looking to continue your winning ways or stay in the playoff hunt, hitting on the right sleepers can make all the difference.
We will be using The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as a reference to find some potential boom games this week.
Here’s a look at some sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 8:
Hear from Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off what should have been a dominant win over the Atlanta Falcons, but a fourth-quarter collapse made a 21-0 lead into a 21-15 escape of a victory.
After breaking a two-game losing streak, the Bucs now look ahead to a road trip to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, reeling team looking to get their season back on track.
Earlier this week, Bucs Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. spoke with the media about the Steelers’ impressive pass-catchers, the progression and impact of Bucs rookie tight end Cade Otton, and where the defense needs to improve most heading into Week 6:
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie tight end Cade Otton enjoyed a breakout performance in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons
It’s no secret that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense sorely misses tight end Rob Gronkowksi, who retired after a two-year return to reunite with Tom Brady following his first decision to hang up his cleats.
The Bucs planned ahead as best they could to account for his departure this offseason, drafting a pair of tight ends, and signing another veteran to add alongside Cameron Brate.
One of those draft picks, fourth-round selection Cade Otton, enjoyed a breakout performance in Sunday’s 21-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons, catching six passes for 43 yards from quarterback Tom Brady.
“I think Cade played well – he blocked well, he caught the ball well, he understands the game,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “He’s only going to get better for us. He’s a very big piece of what we’re trying to do, and his role has already expanded – I don’t know if it can get any bigger – but it’s already expanded…It depends on the game plan. You don’t just make [the game plan] for one guy. But he’ll play his normal amount of reps and when it’s time for him to make a play he’ll step up and make it.”
Comparing a rookie to Gronk isn’t fair, but it’s clear the Bucs see tons of potential in Otton’s well-rounded skill set, as they look to replace all of the ways the retired future Hall of Famer impacted the offense.
“He’s a full tight end,” Bowles said of Otton. “Obviously, he can get better at blocking in a lot of ways but he’s willing, he tries, he sticks his face in there, he’s not afraid of the competition and he catches the ball well. So, we’re happy with him.”
Otton’s contributions on special teams have also been valuable, earning him a spot on the active roster on game days, even ahead of two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Rudolph on most occasions so far this season.
Sunday’s performance proved that Otton is building trust and chemistry with Brady, and his production should continue to improve as a result.
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Hear what Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie tight end Cade Otton had to say following Tuesday’s training camp practice
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t have Rob Gronkowski this season, but they prepared for that possibility when they spent two picks in the 2022 NFL draft on tight ends.
Cade Otton, their fourth-round pick out of Washington, has the versatility to potentially develop into a difference-maker at the position, and despite missing offseason workouts while recovering from ankle surgery, he’s had an impressive training camp.
After Tuesday’s practice, Otton spoke with the media about learning from veteran teammates like Cameron Brate, as well as looking forward to his first NFL preseason game, which takes place this weekend against the Miami Dolphins:
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have all of their picks from the 2022 NFL draft under contract heading into training camp
We've signed rookie TE @CadeOtton.#GoBucs
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) July 24, 2022
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed tight end Cade Otton to his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract Sunday.
A fourth-round pick out of Washington, Otton was the last of Tampa Bay’s picks in the 2022 NFL draft to get under contract, and he does so just as players have begun to report for training camp. Though he missed offseason practices while recovering from ankle surgery, Otton was recently cleared to return just in time for camp.
With Otton now signed, the Bucs have all of their picks from this year’s draft under contract heading into the 2022 season.
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