LANDOVER, Md. — The Bucs’ first playoff game since 2007 became more about survival than revival. Shortly before Saturday’s NFC wild-card game, word spread that Washington would be without injured quarterback Alex Smith.
That meant Tom Brady’s passing duel would be against Taylor Heinicke, who was taking online courses a few weeks ago to finish his degree at Old Dominion.
Brady entered the game with nearly as many playoff touchdown passes (73) as Heinicke had career pass attempts (77) and more career touchdown passes (581) than Heinicke had passing yards (467).
Heinicke, 27, played well (26 of 44 for 306 yards and one TD) and overcame a left shoulder injury that sent him to the locker room briefly with 10 minutes remaining in the game. But Brady and the Bucs were barely too much for the beleaguered NFC East champs and won, 31-23, at FedExField.
Brady finished with two touchdown passes, completing 22 of 40 for 381 yards. He also was sacked three times.
It was the Bucs’ first playoff victory since they won Super Bowl 37 to cap the 2002 season. Coupled with the Rams upset of the Seahawks, the Bucs will either play at New Orleans or host Los Angeles in the NFC divisional playoff next weekend depending on the outcome of the Saints-Bears on Sunday.
Against a team down to its third quarterback, the Bucs were dragged into a two-point game to start the fourth quarter. In fact, Heinicke’s touchdown pass to Steven Sims Jr. made it a one-score game with 4:51 remaining.
Bruce Arians’ club will have to compete better than they did Saturday night if they want to be the first team to play the Super Bowl in their own stadium.
The Bucs had a couple things go against them early. Running back Ronald Jones sustained a quad injury in warmups and could not play. Guard Alex Cappa injured his ankle in the first half and didn’t return. Receiver Mike Evans played with his left knee injury, but he wasn’t much of a factor.
Backup tailback Leonard Fournette ran hard, compiling 93 yards on 19 carries. But leading only 18-10 in the third quarter, rookie running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn lost a fumble.
Heinicke’s 8-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal, in which he dove and extended the football to the pylon, cut the Bucs’ lead to 18-16. The two-point conversion pass failed or the score would have been justifiably tied.
Tight end Cameron Brate came up with some big catches Saturday. His 23-yard reception got the Bucs out of a hole and gave them a chance to answer Heinicke’s TD run.
Ryan Succop kicked his third field goal, this one from 38 yards, to extend the Bucs’ lead to 21-16.
The Bucs didn't seeminly put the game away until Fournette’s 3-yard touchdown run capped a 69-yard drive with 9:11 left to play.
The Bucs’ failure to finish drives with touchdowns was a problem from the start. Tampa Bay drove 70 yards on the opening kickoff, mixing runs to Fournette and some crisp Brady passes. But they bogged down in the red zone and settled for Succop’s 29-yard field goal.
Heinicke didn’t look a guy making the third start of his career. Washington’s only turnover came after a blitzing Kevin Minter was able to tip a pass that was intercepted by Sean Murphy-Bunting.
Brady made Washington pay with his 36-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown, his fifth touchdown in the last four games.
Heinicke looked poised in bringing Washington right back. He completed passes of 24 yards to Logan Thomas and 18 yards to Terry McLaurin to spark a terrific drive at the end of the first quarter.
J.D. McKissic found the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal. Dustin Hopkins’ PAT hit off the left upright and through to cut the Bucs’ lead to 9-7.
Washington was unable to recover an ensuing onside kick. The Bucs needed only five plays to go 61 yards, capped by Brady’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin. Fournette’s two-point conversion run failed to keep it a one-score game at 15-7.
Brady connected on a screen pass to Fournette for 21 yards and teamed with Cameron Brate twice for 41 more. But misfires to Godwin and Rob Gronkowski in the end zone summoned Succop for a 23-yard field goal.
As unconvincing as the Bucs looked, it’s not easy to win a playoff game on the road. Brady had never been the visitor as a wild card in his career.
The NFL pundits spent all week talking about how this could be the upset of the weekend. It nearly was.
When he needed it most, Brady made a huge throw to Evans for 35 yards with under four minutes to finally give them some breathing room and set up Succop’s fourth field goal.
They didn’t thrive Saturday. They did survive. In the playoffs, it’s all that matters.
