TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — If Tom Brady retires in the offseason, he will do so after one of the worst playoff games of his career.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had a tough night against Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys, throwing his first red zone interception against the Buccaneers in a 31-14 loss, ending an up-down season in Tampa Bay Monday night. I was.
Brady will not return to the Bay Area for a rematch with Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Division Round. But he may go home for good.
The 45-year-old and five-time Super Bowl MVP retired just once after last season, returning 40 days later. He said this time it would take him more time to make a decision.
“One day at a time, really,” said Brady.
Brady waved his hat to the crowd as he left the field for what was probably the last jog and stopped to kiss his parents before heading into the tunnel.
Before leaving the podium, Brady thanked reporters and said: Great place. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me. …thank you very much for your respect. Hopefully I gave you guys the same back. “
Brady was 7-0 against Dallas prior to this game. This includes his 19-3 road victory in Week 1.
He was sacked only twice, but the Cowboys forced him into several throwaways and forced him into multiple inappropriate passes.
He threw a career-high 66 passes, 35 of them for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Brady scored his 65th try against New England on December 16, 2012 against San Francisco.
After the Buccaneers were three-and-out on their first two possessions, Brady led a long drive before things fell apart.
On the first down from the Cowboys 22, Brady rolled right and had an open field in front of him, but threw an imperfect shot across the body into four cover in the left corner of the endzone. . A few plays from the Cowboys 5, Brady threw the ball for a grab behind the end zone. His closest player there was Cowboys safety Jaron Kurth.
“It wasn’t the ending we wanted, but it didn’t deserve it,” said Brady. “Give them credit. They played a good game and played more than us.”
Brady had not been shut out in the first half of a playoff game since the first playoff game of 2001, a tack rule game on January 19, 2002.
Brady and the Bucks (8-10) had no chance of a comeback against Dallas (13-5). Parsons & Company blew Brady from start to finish.
“It was typical of how we played all year, being inefficient in the passing game and not very good in the running game. It’s hard to beat a good team like that.
The Bucks finally found the end zone when Brady connected with Julio Jones on a 30-yard TD pass just before the end of the third quarter. However, the Tampa defense quickly returned him a TD and the Bucks failed to score after reaching Cowboys 2 on their next drive.
Brady’s worst playoff loss was 33-14 against the Baltimore Ravens on January 10, 2010.
It’s been a tumultuous season for Brady personally. Her marriage to Gisele Bündchen ended when she announced her divorce was final in October. The Buccaneers won his NFC South disastrously, earning the No. 4 seed, but he had his first losing season in his 23-year career.
Brady is set to become a free agent, so he can choose to continue his unprecedented career with another team.
The Buccaneers want him back if he keeps playing. Linebacker Labonte David said he would wait a few weeks before recruiting him.
Despite playing behind an injury-ridden offensive line without star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired in the offseason, Brady knows he has a lot left in the regular season. He led the NFC with 490 yards and scored 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Brady owns nearly all NFL passing records, has won more championships than any other player in the sport, and is on track to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s not a bad sixth-round draft pick.
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Follow Rob Murdy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/robmaaddi.
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