EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Midway through the third quarter, with the Bucs trailing by two touchdowns, Antonio Brown quit on his team.
Brown had words with coach Bruce Arians, then began to take off his jersey and shoulder pads as fellow receiver Mike Evans attempted to stop him on the sideline. He ripped off his undershirt and gloves and threw them to the crowd, and flashed a “peace out” on his way out down the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
But the Bucs kept fighting.
Tom Brady threw three touchdowns, including a 33-yard scoring pass to Cyril Grayson with 15 seconds remaining in the game to lead the Bucs back from a two-touchdown deficit and beat the Jets 28-24.
Brady’s touchdown pass capped a winning, 93-yard drive in nine plays that elapsed 1:57 off the clock.
Leading by four points, the Jets drove the ball to the Bucs’ 7-yard line. But on fourth and 2, they decided not to kick the chip-shot field goal and rookie quarterback Zach Wilson was stopped for no gain.
The victory improved the Bucs to 12-4 overall but may be known for Brown quitting as much as the Bucs’ comeback.
After Brown left the field, Brady fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate on fourth down to cut the Jets’ lead to 24-17.
Tampa Bay had a first down at the Jets’ 11-yard line. But Le’Veon Bell ran for 2 yards, Brady tried to pull a pass back that slipped out of his hands on second down, and Tyler Johnson dropped a low throw at the 1-yard line on third down.
Ryan Succop connected on a 27-yard field goal to cut the Jets’ lead to 24-20 with just over seven minutes remaining.
But the Jets and Wilson did a good job of driving the ball and using the clock, forcing the Bucs to use all their timeouts.
Brown, who was suspended three games by the league for using a fake vaccination card, returned last Sunday and had 10 catches for 101 yards in a 32-6 win at Carolina.
He was questionable during the week (ankle) but started Sunday. He had three catches for 36 yards on five targets, including a 21-yarder in the first half.
With Chris Godwin lost for the season with a torn ACL and Evans returning from a hamstring injury, the Bucs certainly could have used Brown in the second half.
