Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (-2) struggled to maintain a quality rhythm for much of their matchup with the Packers on Sunday.
Through almost four quarters, Tampa Bay had six points against one of their biggest NFC rivals. Brady himself seemed to lean on Russell Gage as a receiver but otherwise couldn’t help lift the Buccaneers the way he usually does.
That is until the final possession. Go figure. In the last three minutes, with Tampa Bay down 14-6, Brady marched the Buccaneers right down the field on a 13-play, 89-yard drive. When it came to a big-time third and goal play, it sure seemed like Tampa Bay just barely (if at all) got the snap off before a Brady-to-Gage touchdown:
FIRE THE CANNONS! 💣💥
📺: #GBvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/mYc3GQJ21C
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 25, 2022
Oh, well!
The Buccaneers would next have to tie the game with a two-point conversion. Unfortunately, while they seemed to have the right play called — a Leonard Fournette handoff — this time, they couldn’t get the snap off before a delay of game:
Pretty inexcusable. Tom Brady with a delay of game penalty on the game-tying 2-pt attempt…at home. Looks he would have walked right in. Can’t happen at the #NFL level. #BucsVsPackers pic.twitter.com/5aoKsi8r3z
— SportSource Analytics (@SportSourceA) September 25, 2022
That five-yard penalty would, unfortunately, blow the Buccaneers’ apparent perfect play call dead. And, from a distance, their chances at tying the game were predictably low:
❌ DENIED ❌ #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/iCiQn9qq63
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 25, 2022
Oof. What a brutal way to lose the game when you had a chance to win. A 14-12 Packers win that felt like Brady’s Buccaneers blew when they had the opening.
Tampa Bay will probably be OK in the long run, but that’s a tough way to suffer your first loss of the year — especially to another NFC heavyweight.