Fourth quarter comebacks have become the expected for Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady over the years, but even the most ardent of believers likely thought that pulling out Monday night’s game against the Saints would be a bridge too far.
The Bucs were down 13 points when they got the ball with five minutes left in the game and the offense had produced just three points against the New Orleans defense to that point. Brady led a 91-yard touchdown drive, however, and the Bucs got the ball back with a chance to win after forcing a three and out on the ensuing Saints possession.
Brady led the Bucs back down the field, but had an apparent touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty and they got down to a third down with eight seconds left on the clock. That’s when Brady hit running back Rachaad White with a short pass that he was able to take into the end zone for an improbable victory that left the rookie thankful for his NFL landing spot.
“It’s just amazing. I’ve just been grateful,” White said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “I believe I was just born when TB had first gotten into the league. I was born in ’99. Just to be able to be a part of that years later down the road, you just be grateful. And you’ve got to cherish these moments.”
The only other time a Brady-led team came back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter was when the Patriots beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The magnitude of that game puts it above Monday night in the annals of history, but neither White nor anyone else watching on Monday night is likely to forget what the Bucs pulled off.