Brady almost made a similarly successful comeback as in 2017 in the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, when they caught up a 3:28 deficit once morest the Atlanta Falcons and still won 34:28 following overtime. But this time, kicker Matt Gay pushed the Rams even further with a field goal from 30 yards. While the California team can continue to dream of a home Super Bowl, quarterback veteran Brady might have played his last game of his career at the age of 44.
“I haven’t thought regarding it much yet. We’ll see from day to day and then we’ll see,” Brady replied to a related question at the post-game press conference. The Rams saved the chance of a home Super Bowl and will now meet the San Francisco 49ers in front of their home crowd in the NFC finals next Sunday (13:10 in Green Bay). Last year’s finalist Kansas City hosted the fourth consecutive AFC final (record) and hosted the Cincinnati Bengals (16:13 in Tennessee).
Chiefs win following crazy finish
Last year’s repeat of the semifinals between the Chiefs and the Bills delivered what it previously promised. The duel between quarterback stars Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen rocked especially in the finish. After the two-minute warning in the second half, there were still four touchdowns to be seen at the end, which means there were four lead changes from this point on.
With 13 seconds remaining, Buffalo wide receiver Gabriel Davis caught his fourth touchdown pass of the game, setting a new NFL postseason record 36:33 for the Bills. But Mahomes once once more proved his class and prepared a field goal by Harrison Butker from 49 yards. In overtime, the 26-year-old once more led his team down the field and threw the ball into the arms of tight end Travis Kelce for the much-celebrated victory.
In the end, Bills playmaker Allen was not satisfied with four touchdown passes and 329 yards, Davis alone had caught passes for 201 yards. As in 2021, Buffalo lost out in Missouri and will have to wait at least another year for its first title. The Bills once lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s and have not returned to the finals since.
Two different halves in Tampa
The approximately 66,000 spectators in Raymond James Stadium saw two opposing halves in the divisional round. In the first, the Rams, who are peppered with star players, were able to impressively demonstrate their title ambitions this season and led 20:3. Brady did little or nothing, was consistently pressured by the Rams defense and threw an interception, while his counterpart Matthew Stafford threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp.
Brady also fumbled and conceded a bloody lip on a hit by defender Von Miller. When the superstar yelled at the referee followingwards, he received a rare punishment. The Buccaneers eventually warmed up late, partly because the Rams ended up losing the ball no fewer than four times. 3:25 minutes before the end, Brady threw a fantastic pass to wide receiver Mike Evans for 55 yards to make it 20:27, running back Leonard Fournette equalized following a fumble from the guests and made the “Bucs” dream once more.
But when everyone was already expecting an extension, Stafford showed why the Rams had traded two first-round draft picks to the Detroit Lions a year ago. His 44-yard pass reached Kupp and set up the decisive field goal for the guests’ victory.
Brady’s future open
Even before the game, speculation regarding Brady’s future arose. This is naturally part of the 44-year-old in this phase of the season, but this time the evidence seems to be growing that Brady is at least seriously considering ending his career. This was reported, among other things, by the US TV sports broadcaster ESPN.
The record seven-time champion, who has won six titles with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers, has kept a low profile regarding his future. In any case, the quarterback wants to give himself enough time to make his decision, as ESPN reported, he still has a year’s contract with the Buccaneers.
If it was indeed his last game, Brady said goodbye following a memorable playoff weekend. Green Bay and Tennessee, the top seeded teams in their respective conferences, were already hit on Saturday. The Packers lost in the NFC duel to San Francisco 10:13, the Titans lost to Cincinnati 16:19. As in Tampa, the away team won these games with a field goal when the clock was running out.
