The Tampa Bay defense forced the normally potent New Orleans offense into four turnovers, with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense turning those opportunities into three touchdowns, in a 30-20 victory in the Superdome on Sunday night, advancing the Bucs into the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.
Brady connected with Mike Evans and Leonard Fournette on short scoring passes, and scored the clinching score on a 1-yard sneak with 4:57 remaining. The victory sends Brady to a conference championship game for the 14th time, but the first time not in a Patriots uniform.
Just 3,750 fans were in attendance, perhaps watching the final appearance on an NFL team for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who has been hinting at retirement following the 2020 season. Brees, a former Purdue Boilermaker and San Diego Charger, was 19 of 34 for 134 yards, with one touchdown but three costly interceptions.
In the upcoming NFC Championship Game, two of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation will go head-to-head in postseason play for the first time, as Aaron Rodgers’ Packers host Brady’s Buccaneers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay beat Los Angeles in the NFC’s other divisional semifinal game from this past weekend.
