Brady throws 2 TDs, Super Bowl champion beats Eagles 31-15 – Orange County Register

By FRED GOODALL

Tampa, Fla. (AP) – Tom Brady threw 271 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off their Super Bowl comeback efforts with an overwhelming 31-15 NFC Wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The defending champions set the tempo from the start, with Brady leading a pair of long TDs in the opening half and leading 17-0 after halftime.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion ended the Eagles with a 2-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski and 36 yards to Mike Evans, lifting his dazzling playoff record to 35-11 in a 46-game start streak. Season.

The Bucs defense did its part, too, intercepting Jalen Hurts twice on the Philadelphia quarterback’s debut.

“We did some good things,” Brady said. “I think we will have to continue doing what we did today. Everyone has to touch it, do some explosive plays. Did a great job with it, the defense played great, so it was a great win for the team. The special teams played great – one of the best days we’ve had at specials all year. ”

Brady completed 29 of 37 passes without interception, while also extending his post-season record for TD passes to 85.

But the Bucs (14-4) had problems at hand before the defending Super Bowl MVP saw Gronkowski wide open in the middle of the late game to take a 24-0 lead in the middle of the third inning. The 6-foot-5 tallied his TD net to take a 31-0 lead with a forward flip over the line.

The Eagles (9-9) scored on Boston Scott’s 34-yard run and Hurts’ 16-yard TD pass to Kenneth Gainwell in the fourth half. A 2-point conversion slashed Philadelphia’s deficit to 16 with 4:45 left, but that’s as close it would get.

Giovani Bernard scored on the 2-yard run and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, a second-year professional replacing injured wingers Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones, covered the final pitch of the 70-yard run. gave the Bucs a 14-0 lead.

Brady leads the NFL in passes, touches, efforts and finishes this season, but Tampa Bay has won the upper hand in this by running the ball and keeping it out of the way of the Hurts and swarming attack. top of the league.

The Bucs made 25 plays with Philadelphia’s eight in the first quarter, edging the Eagles 137 yards to 17 and creating an 11-1 advantage in the first knockdown.

Things didn’t get any better after that, with a Tampa Bay defense bolstered by the return of injured defenders Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul missing Hurts’ most promising chance. in the opening round with a late intercept by Mike Edwards.

The Eagles have won four of their last five games to claim the 7th seed in the NFC playoffs, however, the turning point of their season came when the dribble became the focus of foul play in the match. second half of the score 28-22. lose to the Bucs.

The Eagles ran at least 130 yards in their next nine games, including seven in a row with over 175. Hurt led the team with a high speed of 784 yards and 10 yards, becoming the eighth quarterback in NFL history. throw more than 3,000 yards. and run on 750.

The Hurts finished their playoff debut with 23 of 43 passes for 258 yards. He ran 39 meters in eight attempts, with the Eagles finishing with an overall 95 metres – well below their season average of 159.7 per game.

SHORT HAND

Philadelphia played without consequences defensively Josh Sweat, who was inactive after being hospitalized and undergoing an “emergency procedure” for what the team described as a “life-threatening situation” earlier in the week.

The Eagles released a pre-match statement saying that Sweat, who has taken the team lead with 7½ bags this season, was hospitalized last Tuesday night.