TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady’s lip was bleeding. He had just taken a hit to the face after a completion to Mike Evans in the first half of Sunday’s NFC division playoff game against the Rams.
The Bucs quarterback complained loudly as he jogged down the field to referee Shawn Hochuli, who threw a flag on Brady for unsportsmanlike conduct, the first of his illustrious career.
But Brady is a fighter and he battled his team back from a 24-point deficit to tie the score as the fourth quarter wound down.
The Bucs got to within a touchdown on Brady’s 55-yard pass to Evans. On the next possession, Rams running back Cam Akers was stripped of the ball by Ndamukong Suh and Lavonte David recovered at the Los Angeles 30-yard line.
Brady moved the Bucs to the Rams’ 9-yard line after a completion to Cameron Brate. The Rams called timeout with 46 seconds remaining.
On the next play, Leonard Fournette broke free around right end for a 9-yard touchdown and Ryan Succop kicked the extra point to tie it at 27 with 42 seconds remaining.
But Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford connected on passes of 44 and 20 yards to Cooper Kupp, then Matt Gay — a former fifth-round draft pick by Tampa Bay — connected on a 30-yard field goal to give the Rams a 30-27 win over the Bucs.
Playing without All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs, Brady was under siege and the Bucs defense was on its heels against the Rams.
The Bucs wanted to defend their NFL championship. They wanted to go for two. They returned 22 starters in hopes of making it to Super Bowl 56 in Los Angeles.
But there will be no Hollywood ending.
Not this year.
The Rams will play the 49ers in next Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium, home of Super Bowl 56.
The Bucs, meanwhile, aren’t sure what the 2022 season will look like except it could be vastly different.
Start with the 44-year-old Brady, who led the NFL in passing with 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, won 14 games but couldn’t get back for a chance to win his eighth Lombardi Trophy.
Although he is signed for the 2022 season, Brady has said he will wait a few weeks before deciding whether there is another chapter to his remarkable career.
