Tom Brady is winning as much as he is losing these days, yet somehow doing things he’s never done before.
That was the case Monday night when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were effectively smothered by the visiting New Orleans Saints until Brady engineered two late touchdown drives for a 17-16 win.
“Look, when you play Tom Brady, when you have a chance to put him away, you have to put him away,” Saints coach Dennis Allen told reporters. “I felt like we missed some opportunities to put him away.”
The NFC South leaders at 6-6, Tampa Bay travels cross country to face the 49ers (8-4) Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, pitting the 45-year-old Brady against 22-year-old rookie Brock Purdy.
New Orleans took a 16-3 lead with 8:02 remaining on the third of three field goals by Will Lutz. Tampa Bay had done no damage since a field goal on its opening drive.
Then on the last two possessions, with the offense turned over to Brady in a hurry-up situation, the Bucs drove 91 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown and then 63 yards in 11 plays for another.
That is 154 yards in 21 plays after getting all of 196 yards on 64 previous snaps.
“Just like we drew it up,” Brady said as the postgame press corps burst into laughter. “We’ve been pretty good in the no-huddle, two-minute drills and a lot of games come down to those kind of plays and our guys made ’em. Everyone contributed.”
The winning touchdown, with three seconds left, was the latest come-from-behind win of the 44 in Brady’s career. The 13-point fourth-quarter margin was the biggest point spread Brady has overcome other than the 19-point gulf between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
You don’t have to remind then-Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan how that turned out. Spoiler alert: New England won 34-28 in overtime.
New Orleans quarterback Andy Dalton knows how Shanahan felt that day.
“When you’re in that situation at the end of a game that’s what Tom has done his whole career,” Dalton said. “It’s hard standing there on the sideline knowing what he’s capable of doing, and he’s done it a lot.”
Here’s how a matchup between division leaders and potential playoff teams shapes up:
GAME ESSENTIALS: Tampa Bay (6-6) vs. 49ers (8-4) at Levi’s Stadium. ODDS: 49ers (-3)
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS OPTIMISM
Defensive dominance
Other than a couple of big plays, the 49ers shut down Miami and its prolific passing offense. They continue to lead the NFL in run defense (75.6 yards per game) and scoring defense (15.8). Considering Tampa Bay’s difficulty in terms of scoring, breaking double figures against the 49ers might be a chore.
Rally around Brock
The 49ers know what you’re thinking. With a rookie seventh-round draft pick at quarterback, dreams of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona are off the table. Nobody goes to the big game with a rookie, much less one who was the last pick of the draft. But this is a veteran team, and don’t rule out the 49ers getting better because a lot of key performers know it has to be that way for any chance at a championship.
Home cooking
It seems like light years ago when the 49ers couldn’t win at their home stadium. They’re at the end of a three-game “homestand” and have beaten the Chargers and Miami Dolphins. Their lone home loss is on Oct. 30 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The crowds have been lively and the 49ers are making Levi’s Stadium a place opponents would rather avoid.
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS PESSIMISM
Tampa Bay’s defense is legit
The Buccaneers are capable of making things tough on anyone, let alone a rookie quarterback in his first start like Brock Purdy. They’re eighth in the NFL in total defense and fifth in scoring defense at 18.3 points per game. Tampa is fourth in sacks with 38 and can attack from the inside with 6-foot-4, 347-pound nose tackle Vita Vea (6 1/2 sacks) of Milpitas High as well as from linebacker Devin White (5 1/2 sacks).
An inevitable letdown
Not only are the 49ers recovering from an emotional roller coaster after losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but they’ve ground through a physical five-game win streak. Running back Christian McCaffrey has knee irritation, Deebo Samuel a deep thigh contusion and Nick Bosa is nursing a hamstring strain. The Bucs can put more distance between themselves and Atlanta (5-8) while the 49ers could be caught looking ahead to next week’s NFC West division showdown in Seattle.
Lethargic run game
The 49ers are 14th in the NFL in rushing at 124.1 yards per game it was rough going the last two weeks against both New Orleans and Miami, although there were late breakthroughs over the last 6:18 against the Saints and a 30-yard run by McCaffrey against the Dolphins. The 49ers might consider a larger role for Jordan Mason, who has 13 carries for 76 yards in the last two games.
POSSIBLE DIFFERENCE MAKER: QB Tom Brady
Of course. Brady’s 44th win in the fourth quarter or overtime passed Peyton Manning for the all-time record. He’s completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,332 yards, 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Turnovers are one of the biggest factors in any NFL game, and who is more likely to turn it over, Purdy or Brady? It is only Brady’s second game in the Bay Area against the 49ers and could be his last one. Unless, of course, he signs with the 49ers next season. But that’s speculation for another day . . .
