Tampa Bay hadn’t scored a touchdown at home against the New Orleans Saints in almost 13 quarters when Tom Brady threw two TD passes in the final three minutes to lift the Buccaneers to a 17-16 victory on Monday night.
Brady actually threw three touchdown passes in that span, but one didn’t count. A 5-yard scoring pass to Chris Godwin with 16 seconds to play was wiped out by an offensive-holding penalty.
Three snaps later, Brady connected with running back Rachaad White for a 6-yard touchdown with three seconds remaining. The extra point by Ryan Succop completed the 44th fourth-quarter comeback of Brady’s career, the most in NFL history – and none came on a score as late in the fourth quarter.
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New Orleans had won four in a row at Tampa since the Bucs’ 31-24 victory on Dec. 31, 2017. The Saints outscored Tampa Bay 109-33 in the four games.
Brady’s 1-yard pass to tight end Cade Otton with 3:00 to play on Monday night was Tampa Bay’s first touchdown against New Orleans at Raymond James Stadium since current Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Godwin with 1:22 left in the third quarter on Nov. 17, 2019.
Tampa Bay didn’t have an offensive snap in New Orleans’ end of the field between its opening possession, which produced a field goal, and its final two series, which were touchdown drives of 91 yards on 10 plays and 63 yards on 11 plays and took 4:47 combined.
The Bucs might not have had the opportunity for their comeback if not for an odd play involving former Alabama All-American Mark Ingram, who led New Orleans with 27 rushing yards and five receptions. He got the rushing yards on seven carries, and the five receptions produced 22 yards.
Ingram went to the sideline medical tent after a 5-yard reception with 8:10 to play, and his return was listed as questionable. But when New Orleans got the football back after a Tampa Bay three-and-out, the running back was back on the field.
On second-and-8 from the Saints 44-yard line, Ingram caught a pass and ran out of bounds after a 7-yard gain when he clearly had room to get the extra yard for the first down. On the next play, quarterback Andy Dalton threw a third-and-1 incompletion. After the punt, Tampa Bay started its comeback from a 16-3 deficit with 5:21 remaining.
“Mark hurt his knee on the previous play,” New Orleans coach Dennis Allen said during his postgame press conference, “so he came up a yard short, which that’s frustrating.”
Ingram entered the game with 298 career receptions, and he became the 30th player in NFL history with 8,000 rushing yards and 300 receptions. Ingram is the first player from an Alabama high school or college to achieve the feat.
The Saints still might have held off Tampa Bay, but Taysom Hill couldn’t hold on to a deep pass on a third-and-17 throw by Dalton, and the three-and-out gave the Bucs possession with 2:29 to play.
In addition to Ingram, four other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the New Orleans-Tampa Bay game:
· Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford, Auburn) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Carlton Davis (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Davis made four tackles and broke up a pass on defense and had one tackle on special teams.
· Jamel Dean (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made four tackles and broke up a pass.
· Saints running back Derrick Gore (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Julio Jones (Foley, Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Buccaneers. Jones had three receptions for 28 yards. Jones had a 15-yard reception to the New Orleans 5-yard line with 19 seconds to play.
· Saints safety Smoke Monday (Auburn) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Buccaneers defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) made one tackle.
· Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed for the game but did not play. Winston started the first three games of the season, then was inactive for two weeks as he recovered from back and ankle injuries. Dalton moved under center and has remained there. Monday night’s game was the eighth in a row that Winston was available to play but did not.
On Monday, Tampa Bay restored safety Logan Ryan to the active roster from injured reserve. To create a spot on the active roster for Ryan, the Buccaneers waived safety Nolan Turner, a former Vestavia Hills High School standout. An undrafted rookie, Turner had 63 special-teams plays in four games this season.
Tampa Bay evened its record at 6-6, which is good enough to lead the NFC South. New Orleans dropped into the division cellar at 4-9. In between are the Atlanta Falcons at 5-8 and the Carolina Panthers at 4-8.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers visit the San Francisco 49ers at 3:25 p.m. CST. The Saints are entering their bye week. New Orleans will return to the field on Dec. 18, when the Atlanta Falcons visit Caesars Superdome.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis tackles New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara during an NFL game on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.(Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Julio Jones can’t reach a pass during an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.(AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
