GLENDALE, Arizona — Win and they’re in.
That’s the scenario for the Bucs (7-8), who could clinch the NFC South with a victory over Carolina next Sunday at home.
The Bucs put themselves in that position by rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime and beating the Cardinals 19-16 when Ryan Succop connected on a 40-yard field goal with 3:41 left in the extra period.
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, who threw two more interceptions Sunday, brought the Bucs back with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rachaad White with 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. With the Bucs trailing by a field goal, they got a break when Keaontay Ingram couldn’t handle a pitch from Trace McSorley and Will Gholston recovered the fumble at the Tampa Bay 45.
Brady was able to drive the Bucs close enough for Succop’s game-tying 42-yard field goal with 2:27 to play in the fourth.
“Tougher than it should’ve been and tougher than we wanted,” Brady said.
The Cardinals won the coin toss but could muster only one first down with their first possession in overtime.
Running back Leonard Fournette was the workhorse for the Bucs with 72 yards rushing and 90 yards receiving.
Brady threw two more interceptions Sunday and faced the prospect of losing to another quarterback who was making his first NFL start. With Kyler Murray out for the season with a torn ACL and backup Colt McCoy out with a concussion, the Cardinals started third-string quarterback McSorley.
Like 49ers rookie Brock Purdy, who made his first NFL start two weeks ago count with a 35-7 win over Brady and the Bucs, McSorley was nothing if not competitive.
While Brady was turning the ball over ― that’s 10 in the past four games ― McSorley was solid and avoided the big mistakes.
With the score tied at 6-6 and the Bucs driving late in the third quarter, Brady was intercepted for the second time in the game by Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson at the Arizona 19-yard line.
McSorley launched a 47-yard pass to Marquise Brown on the Cardinals’ next drive. That set up the third field goal by Matt Prater, who made it 9-6 as the fourth quarter got underway.
A 28-yard punt return by Pharoh Cooper set the Cardinals up at the Bucs’ 33-yard line leading 9-6.
A few plays later, James Connor broke free around left tackle for a 22-yard touchdown run. That gave the Cardinals a 16-10 lead.
Back came the Bucs, with Leonard Fournette turning a short pass into a 44-yard gain and picking up another first down at the Cardinals 8-yard line. Two plays later, Brady hit rookie running back Rachaad White on a 3-yard pass for a TD to cut the Cardinals lead to 16-13 with 8:03 remaining.
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