It’s not like Jets fans needed one, but Tom Brady gave them a reminder of why he is the greatest ever again on Sunday.
It looked like the Jets would pull off an improbable upset win over Brady and the Buccaneers. Then, Brady put together a 93-yard drive in the final two minutes of the game to steal the win and break the Jets’ hearts … again.
Brady found Cyril Grayson for a 33-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in the game to give Tampa Bay a 28-24 win. It was the first time the Buccaneers led all day, but it was the only score that mattered.
The Buccaneers got the ball back with 2:12 left after Jets coach Robert Saleh went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Tampa 7-yard line with a 24-20 lead. The decision to go for it was not appalling, but the play call was — a quarterback sneak for Zach Wilson, who got stuffed for no gain, giving Brady the chance he needed.
Brady moved the Bucs down the field with a series of short and intermediate passes and then put the dagger in the Jets’ heart with the throw to Grayson.
Brady improved to 31-8 against the Jets in what was likely his final game against them. The Buccaneers are now 12-4 and playoff bound. The Jets are 4-12 and the only silver lining in this loss is their draft status was not hurt.
There was plenty to like for the Jets in this one before the ending. The Jets played a near perfect first half and jumped out to a 14-point lead in the third quarter. Then, Brady and the Bucs began to chip away.
The game featured a bizarre scene in the third quarter with Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown leaving the field shirtless while waving to the crowd after an apparent sideline meltdown.
Wilson played his best game of the season, with an especially crisp first half. Wilson was 19 of 33 for for 234 yards and a touchdown. Brady was 34 of 50 for 410 yards with three touchdowns and interception.
The Jets won the coin toss and elected to receive, showing some aggression at the start. The Jets took the opening drive and marched 72 yards down the field in six plays. The big play was a 55-yard run by Michael Carter, who exited the game with a concussion a short time later.
Braxton Berrios scored the first of his two touchdowns to end the drive. The scoring play was a gadget play where the ball was snapped directly to Carter, who then flipped it to Berrios on a reverse. Berrios raced one yard into the end zone for the score and a 7-0 lead.
Tampa Bay answered the Jets’ opening score with a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Brady and the Buccaneers converted three third downs on the way to the end zone. Brady hit Mike Evans with a back-shoulder throw for a 4-yard touchdown pass that left cornerback Bryce Hall with no chance to defend.
Wilson looked calm, confident and comfortable from the start. He made decisive throws and showed no of the shakiness that as apparent earlier this season. Wilson hit Berrios for a 9-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead.
The Jets’ 32nd-ranked defense played well against Brady and Co. Tampa Bay struggled for most of the game to find any rhythm. The Buccaneers settled for a field goal in the second quarter to cut the Jets’ lead to 14-10.
The Buccaneers had a chance to score at the end of the half when they got the ball back with 54 seconds left and a timeout, a scene Jets fans have seen play out many times to their detriment. But Brady threw an interception to rookie cornerback Brandin Echols with 28 seconds left in the half. Wilson moved the Jets into field goal position quickly with a 19-yard pass to Ty Johnson. Kicker Eddy Pineiro made the 51-yard field goal to send the Jets into halftime up 17-10.
The Jets defense opened the second half by stopping the Buccaneers and giving Wilson and the Jets the ball back. The Jets went 66 yards on 9 plays with Johnson scoring from the 1-yard line to take a 24-10 lead with 6:56 left in the third quarter.
Brady started doing Brady things and finding Rob Gronkowski on key plays and you could feel the game slipping away from the Jets. Brady hit another tight end, Cameron Brate, on a 4-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-17 at the end of the third quarter.
The Jets offense went cold late in the third quarter and had two straight three-and-outs. A 27-yard Ryan Succop field goal made it 24-20 with 7:36 left to play.
While the game featured plenty of dramatics on the field, the most dramatic moment came when Brown melted down on the Tampa sideline. Brown took off his pad and then threw his gloves and shirt to the fans in the stands before taking his shirt off an exiting the field shirtless while waving to the MetLife Stadium crowd. It should be the end of Brown’s career.
