Tom Brady led Tampa Bay to his first postseason win in 2002, reaching the age of 31 for his career.
It lasted about two decades, but eventually the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won again in the postseason..
And in this process, the most winning player in the history of the playoffs, Tom Brady, extended his own series of victories in this case.
It wasn’t easy, because Washington maintained fierce resistance with its defense and unexpected offensive power behind defender Taylor Heinecke, who played in place of injured starter Alex Smith..
This was the fifth consecutive victory for the Buccaneers and it is the fourth in a row in which they exceeded 30 points.
But what did we learn from this exciting match between Tampa Bay and Washington? These are the lessons:
Key moment: Washington came into this game without losing anything, indeed, after winning the weak NFC East with a record of 7-9, and the head coach clarified this when he tried a short shot in the second quarter, after scored a touchdown to get closer. 9-7. If he had recovered the ball, the emotional moment would have been for the Washington football team, but this did not happen, the buccaneers recovered the ball and advanced to score and lead 15-7.
Key figure: Leonard Fournette. Buccaneers running back were charged with a run-off that ended 142 meters, of which 93 were due to Fournette’s 19 transports, which contributed to a touchdown. Fournette also had four receptions for 39 yards, which helped Washington’s defense think twice about stacking the tape when it was in the background.
Key statistics: 31. Brady extended his playoff win record to 31, almost double that of his closest follower, his childhood idol, Joe Montana, who was 16. Brady also set a mark for the most many road victories for a new quarterback in the playoffs, breaking the tie he had with Joe Flacco, who has eight.
What’s next: The Buccaneers have to wait for their next rival for the divisional round, in the morning the Los Angeles Rams caught the Seattle Seahawks and on Sunday the New Orleans Saints, number 2 in the National Conference, host the Chicago Bears.
Washington has a big question mark at the quarterback. After cutting Dwayne Haskins Jr., the team is looking for the defender of the future. Given his age, health and, above all, salary cap, Smith is not the most likely answer, and Heinecke must win the title first.