Tom Brady throws for 381 yards and two touchdowns to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to defeat Washington, who were led by Taylor Heinicke’s outstanding quarterback to replace absent Alex Smith. The Buccaneers will now meet the Green Bay Packers in the Regional Tour.
By Cameron Hogwood
Last Updated: 10/01/21 4:55 am
Tom Brady marks a walk with Antonio Brown (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
The heroic quarterback Taylor Heinicke was not included when Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-23 win over Washington to host a Regional World Cup meeting with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Heinicke was particularly impressive without Alex Smith as he finished with 306 yards passing for one draw and interception along with 46 yards of a senior team tearing for a score off six carries after the team had built only in December.
The 27-year-old was signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an unconditional free agent in 2015 and spent time on five teams, including the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, before landing with Washington. He overcame a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter to make it a five-point game and keep Washington alive with a perfect pass to Steven Sims at the back of the end zone.
It wasn’t going to be, however, as the Bucs were ultimately benefiting from a starter, when Washington was infamously struggling to put pressure in his pocket, with Brady and his Leonard Fournette ‘s running back rejoices behind an impressive offensive line.
- Buccaneers passing: Tom Brady, 22/40, 381 yards, 2 TDs
- Rush Head: Leonard Fournette, 19 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
- Head gets: Mike Evans, six catches, 119 yards
The Buccaneers got off the mark on their opening pass through a 29-yard field goal from Ryan Succop, before Brady penalized Heinicke’s interface to Sean Murphy-Bunting by picking up Antonio Brown for a touchdown pass. 36-yard, just for the extra point to miss.
Heinicke responded extremely well with a made-up driver who saw Logan Thomas down the sideline for a 24-yard lead followed by an 18-yard tie with Terry McLaurin and a 10-yard scramble before JD McKissic led the parade with two -yard rushes.
Benefiting from an unbound pass defense, Brady immediately responded for himself by making a connection with Chris Godwin for a 27-yard courtship. The Bucs failed on the two-point conversion attempt by Fournette among what they did to make up for the extra point previously missed.
Washington came up with a much-needed late-half catch to limit the Bucs to a Succop 23-yard field goal at the end of a 10-play run, followed by another when Montez Sweat put the ball in place. on Brady on third and- 10 just before the break.
- Washington passing: Taylor Heinicke, 26/44, 306 slat, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Rush Leader: Taylor Heinicke, six carries, 46 yards, 1 TD
- Head gets: Cam Sims, seven catches, 104 yards
Scoring summary
| FIRST COMPANY | |
|---|---|
| Buccaneers 3-0 Washington | Ryan Succop’s 29-yard field goal |
| Buccaneers 9-0 Washington | Tom Brady 36-yard TD goes to Antonio Brown (missed extra point) |
| THE SECOND | |
| Buccaneers 9-7 Washington | JD McKissic two-yarder rips TD (extra point) |
| Buccaneers 15-7 Washington | Tom Brady 27-yard TD goes to Chris Godwin (2PT conversion attempt fails) |
| Buccaneers 18-7 Washington | Ryan Succop’s 23-yard field goal |
| DATE | |
| Buccaneers 18-10 Washington | Dustin Hopkins 36-yard field goal |
| Buccaneers 18-16 Washington | Heinicke TD run eight-yard TD (2PT conversion attempt fails) |
| FOUR FOUR | |
| Buccaneers 21-16 Washington | Ryan Succop’s 38-yard field goal |
| Buccaneers 28-16 Washington | Leonard Fournette tears up three-yard TD (extra point) |
| Buccaneers 28-23 Washington | Heinicke TD 11-yard TD pack to Cam Sims (extra point) |
| Buccaneers 31-23 Washington | Ryan Succop’s 37-yard field goal |
The guests had to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins to start in the second half when Heinicke’s pass was almost caught after going up through Thomas’ hands, after which they made a timely defensive stop. .
Ke’Shawn Vaughn was then penalized for a missed fumble as Heinicke got out of a falling pocket on the third and fifth before diving into the pole for a run of about eight yards. Washington chose to go for the two-point turn in an attempt to tie the game, however he came short of a Heinicke-intended pass to put a tight end on Thomas.
Brady’s seven points could finally bother Brady as Bucs’ first points in the second half came in the form of a 38-yard goal at Succop early in the fourth after their drive stopped.
The following series ended with Heinicke making his way to the locker room for treatment of a shoulder injury. He was finally cleared to return, but it wasn’t until the Bucs expanded their game thanks to a three-yard rushing run from Fournette.
On his return Heinicke set up an 11-play streak ending with a familiar heavy pass to find the Sims on the corner path for an 11-yard yacht, the catcher dragging both legs to stay afloat. inside as Washington moved within 28-23.
A driver started chewing a clock for the Bucs with a 35-yard lift from Evans and finished in a 37-yard field goal from Succop to give Tampa a 31-23 lead with 2.54 to play, which they kept as they were. penning in aa meeting with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
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