Antonio Brown was apparently frustrated and angry. So he walked away.
From the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And possibly his NFL career.
The mercurial wide receiver was kicked off the Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians said after the game Brown was off the team.
“He is no longer a Buc,” Arians said. “All right? That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys who went out there and won the game.”
Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to Mike Evans, who tried to calm his teammate. But Brown stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt – tossing the gloves and T-shirt into the stands – and then walked bare-chested down the sideline and into the end zone. He then waved to fans as jogged through the end zone and into the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
Video of Antonio Brown leaving the field after taking off his jersey and shirt and throw it into the stands. pic.twitter.com/1hwNYei5Fq
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 2, 2022
It appeared to be a show of frustration by Brown, who had three catches for 26 yards.
“I’m not talking about it,” Arians said. “He’s not part of the Bucs.”
Brown was suspended last month for three games for violating the league’s Covid-19 protocols. He also has a history of personal conduct issues and bizarre behavior.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Brady said. “Everybody should do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best. Unfortunately, it won’t be with our team. ... I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening.”
Brady connected with Cameron Brate for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the four shortly after Brown’s exit, and the QB finished the Bucs’ rally with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Cyril Grayson with 15 seconds left.
The Bucs stuffed Jets QB Zach Wilson on fourth-and-2 at the seven for no gain with New York trying to seal the victory. New York coach Robert Saleh said the play should’ve been a reverse to wide receiver Braxton Berrios, but Wilson had the option to sneak it based on the look.
“We did a very poor job of communicating that,” Saleh said, adding that ”it just makes you sick” because a handoff to Berrios would’ve likely been a first down.
Instead, it gave Brady and the Bucs the ball back with 2:12 left.
And that was more than enough time.
Brady marched the Buccaneers (12-4) down the field on nine plays, zipping a pass to Grayson – who was elevated from the practice squad – for the go-ahead score. It was Brady’s third TD pass of the game and 40th of the season, joining him with Drew Brees as the only players to throw for 40 touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
He finished 34 of 50 for 410 yards, the three TDs and an interception for Tampa Bay, which had Arians back after he tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in the week.
Le’Veon Bell ran in the two-point conversion against his former team, forcing New York to need a touchdown. But the Jets (4-12) ran out of time.
“We’ve been in some crazy situations before,” Arians said, “but this was a very special one to come back and win that game.”
Kansas City Chiefs 31-34 Cincinnati Bengals
Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs.
The Bengals’ winning drive was filled with drama.
On fourth-and-inches with under a minute left, the Bengals (10-6) decided to go for a touchdown instead of calling on McPherson for a field goal and giving the Chiefs the ball back with a chance to win.
Burrow threw incomplete in the end zone, but Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was flagged for illegal use of hands, giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen was called on to kneel twice before McPherson came on for the game-winner.
Burrow was outstanding again, completing 30 of 39 attempts. He was sacked four times and hit at least six more times but was as accurate as ever, and Chase caught everything that was thrown near him.
Mahomes looked as if he had the game under control early. He threw two first-quarter touchdown passes to give the Chiefs the early lead, but he didn’t get another one.
The Chiefs (11-5) led 14-0, 21-7 and 28-14 in the first half. They were ahead 28-17 at halftime before the Bengals began the latest of several second-half surges this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10-50 New England Patriots
New England returned to the playoffs when rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for two scores apiece in their 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The victory by the Patriots (10-6) snapped a two-game losing streak and gave Bill Belichick his 20th 10-win season as a head coach, tying Don Shula for the most in NFL history. A loss by Miami at Tennessee secured New England’s first trip to the postseason since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay following the 2019 season.
The Jaguars (2-14) have lost eight consecutive games, including three straight since firing coach Urban Meyer. It was their 17th consecutive loss on the road, the longest streak in the league.
Jones finished 22 of 30 for 227 yards and set a franchise record for touchdown passes by a rookie with 21. Stevenson had 107 yards on 19 carries. Harris rushed nine times for 35 yards before leaving in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Patriots receiver Kristian Wilkerson had two touchdown catches – the first of his career – after being elevated from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. He pulled in a six-yard TD to put the Patriots up 21-3 in the second quarter. His second came on a 20-yard pass on their opening possession of the second half that stretched the lead to 34-3.
New England’s defense also bounced back from a rough outing against Buffalo, holding the Jaguars to 253 yards and 3 of 9 on third downs. Myles Bryant, JC Jackson and Kyle Dugger all had interceptions.
Miami Dolphins 3-34 Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans clinched their second straight AFC South title Sunday, snapping the Miami Dolphins’ seven-game winning streak with a 34-3 win.
The Titans (11-5) won their second straight overall and third in four games to clinch their first back-to-back division titles since the start of the AFL when this franchise was the Houston Oilers and won three straight Eastern Division championships. They also won 11 games for a second consecutive season for the first time since 2002-03 – and currently are the AFC’s top seed after Kansas City lost at Cincinnati.
Miami came in as the first team in NFL history to win seven straight after a seven-game skid. That surge helped push the Dolphins into the third and final wild-card spot in the AFC, but this loss seriously damaged their playoff hopes.
On a cold and rainy day, the Titans ran more than they threw. Tannehill was 13 of 18 for 120 yards and a 127.1 passer rating against the team that drafted him eighth overall in 2012 before trading him to Tennessee in March 2019. Tannehill is 31-15 as the Titans’ starter with his third straight playoff berth clinched.
D’Onta Foreman ran for 132 yards and a TD. Dontrell Hilliard ran for a 39-yard TD as the Titans scored 10 points off a pair of turnovers by Tua Tagovailoa.
Philadelphia Eagles 20-16 Washington Football Team
Jalen Hurts scrambled out of trouble while showing no ill effects from a recent ankle injury, Boston Scott rushed for two touchdowns, and the Philadelphia Eagles held on to beat Washington 20-16 Sunday to move one step closer to the playoffs.
Hurts ran six times for 45 yards and was 17 of 26 passing for 214 yards in leading the Eagles to a fourth consecutive victory. Pending other results around the NFL, they could have an NFC wild-card spot locked up by the end of the night.
Philadelphia (9-7) started slowly yet again, and its league-leading rushing attack was held to a season-low 3.4 yards a carry with Miles Sanders out because of a broken left hand. Twelve days after racking up 238 yards on the ground against Washington (6-10), the Eagles had 119 yards rushing.
But the defense finally got to Taylor Heinicke, and the Eagles wore down a banged-up opponent, erasing a 16-7 deficit. Jake Elliott connected on field goals of 42 and 41 yards in the fourth quarter, and Rodney McLeod picked off Heinicke in the end zone with 24 seconds remaining to seal it.
Philadelphia made the postseason for the first time since 2019 with Minnesota’s loss at Green Bay and San Francisco’s win over Houston later Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders 23-20 Indianapolis Colts
Derek Carr directed Las Vegas to Daniel Carlson’s winning 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the Raiders beat Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts 23-20 on Sunday to move one step closer to an AFC wild card.
After Michael Badgley kicked a tying 41-yard field goal for Indianapolis with 1:56 left, Carr and the Raiders got the ball back at their 25 after a touchback. Carr found Hunter Renfrow for 24 yards on third-and-10 in the final minute, setting the stage for Carlson’s third field goal of the game.
Carr passed for 255 yards and a touchdown for Las Vegas (9-7), and Zay Jones had eight receptions for 120 yards.
Rallying after an embarrassing email scandal that led to coach Jon Gruden’s resignation, the Raiders can wrap up an improbable playoff spot with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers next weekend.
Indianapolis (9-7) had won three straight and eight of 10 to move one win away from a postseason berth. But it couldn’t hold a second-half lead against Las Vegas.
New York Giants 3-29 Chicago Bears
Robert Quinn broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s franchise single-season record with his 18th sack, and the Chicago Bears pounded the New York Giants 29-3 on Sunday.
Trevis Gipson added a career-high two sacks, and the Bears joined Green Bay as the only franchises with 800 victories counting the postseason. They also gave the embattled Matt Nagy a win in what might have been his final home game as their coach.
Quinn broke Dent’s mark of 17 and a half set in 1984 when he took down Mike Glennon in the fourth quarter. By then, the Bears (6-10) were well on their way.
Gipson had a strip-sack on the game’s first play from scrimmage and Tashaun Gipson picked off Glennon on the next possession. The two takeaways led to a scoring run by David Montgomery and touchdown catch by Darnell Mooney, making it 14-0 and sending the Monsters of the Midway to their second straight win after losing eight of nine.
The Giants (4-12), who could also be in for changes, lost their fifth straight game. They set a season low in yards for the second week in a row, finishing with 151 after being held to 192 against Philadelphia.
Los Angeles Rams 20-19 Baltimore Ravens
Matthew Stafford shook off three turnovers to guide a fourth-quarter rally Sunday that carried the Los Angeles Rams to their fifth straight victory, 20-19 over the short-handed but stubborn Baltimore Ravens.
Stafford threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr with 57 seconds left immediately after completing a five-yarder to Beckham on a fourth-and-5. After Los Angeles failed on a two-point conversion, the Ravens – playing a third straight game without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson – never got close enough for a field-goal try.
The victory pushed the Rams (12-4) to the cusp of their second straight NFC West title. Arizona needed to beat Dallas later Sunday to avoid elimination.
At one point this season, Baltimore was 8-3 and the top seed in the AFC. The Ravens (8-8) have since lost five straight, their longest skid since a nine-game run in 2007 under Brian Billick paved the way for current coach John Harbaugh to take over in 2008.
Four of those defeats during this slump have come by a total of five points.
The loss ousted Baltimore from the AFC North title hunt. The Ravens were not officially eliminated from the playoff chase, but to get in as a wild card they’ll need a win next week and a whole lot of help.
Atlanta Falcons 15-29 Buffalo Bills
Buffalo clinched a playoff berth when Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for Josh Allen’s sloppiness in a 29-15 victory over Atlanta that eliminated the Falcons from contention.
The AFC East-leading Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff spot. Buffalo (10-6) did so by beating the Falcons, coupled with the Baltimore Ravens’ 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Falcons (7-9) went down swinging in being eliminated from the NFC race to extend their postseason drought to a fourth year in their first season under coach Arthur Smith. The Falcons forced four turnovers, with an injury and Covid-19-depleted secondary intercepting Allen on three consecutive possessions spanning halftime.
Allen did a much better job running than throwing by scoring two touchdowns rushing on a snow-dusted field, and with temperatures in the low 20s.
Buffalo won their third straight and needs only to beat the New York Jets in its finale next weekend to clinch its second consecutive division title – and assure the Bills home-field advantage for the wild-card playoff round.
Houston Texans 7-23 San Francisco 49ers
Rookie Trey Lance threw two touchdown passes in the second half of his second career start, and the San Francisco 49ers closed in on a playoff berth with a 23-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Lance got the nod for the 49ers (9-7) for the first time since Week 5 with Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a thumb injury and overcame an interception in the first half to lead San Francisco to the win.
The Niners can clinch their second playoff berth in five seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan with one loss by New Orleans or a win next week against the Rams.
The Texans (4-12) struggled to get much of anything going offensively and failed in their attempt at their first three-game winning streak since 2018.
Davis Mills went 21 for 32 for 163 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and Houston was held to 222 yards on offense.
Detroit Lions 29-51 Seattle Seahawks
Rashaad Penny rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns, Russell Wilson threw three of his four TD passes to DK Metcalf, and the Seattle Seahawks routed the Detroit Lions 51-29 on Sunday.
Seattle (6-10) closed out its home schedule with its most impressive offensive showing of the season, raising questions about where those fireworks have been for most of the disappointing year.
Penny rumbled for 144 yards in the first half, while Wilson threw TD passes to Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as Seattle built a 31-7 halftime lead.
Wilson added a third TD to Metcalf on the third play of the second half. Wilson finished 20 of 29 for 236 yards, while Metcalf had a career-high three touchdown catches. Metcalf has 12 TD catches this season, also a career best.
It was the fifth 50-point game in franchise history and first since 2012 when Seattle beat Buffalo 50-17 in a game played in Toronto.
Arizona Cardinals 25-22 Dallas Cowboys
Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes to Antoine Wesley and the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-22 in a matchup of playoff-bound teams Sunday.
The outcome didn’t do much to change the races for the NFC’s No. 1 seed or the NFC West, but the Cardinals ended a three-game skid a week after backing into the postseason while stopping the NFC East champion’s four-game winning streak.
Murray improved to 8-0 as a starter at the home of the Cowboys. Most of those victories were as a Texas high school playoff star, but the past two have been as a pro after last season’s 38-10 rout.
The Cardinals (11-5) are still a game behind the Los Angeles Rams in their division with LA rallying to beat Baltimore 20-19.
Denver Broncos 13-34 Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert threw for two touchdowns and set the franchise single-season record, Andre Roberts returned a kick 101 yards for a score, and the Los Angeles Chargers moved back into an AFC playoff spot with a 34-13 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Los Angeles (9-7) are in the final wild-card spot but need a win at Las Vegas next week to wrap up their first postseason berth since 2018. The Colts, Chargers and Raiders all have the same record, but the Chargers currently hold the tiebreaker over Las Vegas after their 28-14 victory on 4 October.
Denver (7-9) have lost four of its last five, was eliminated from playoff contention and is assured of its fifth straight losing season.
Herbert, the AFC starter for the Pro Bowl, has 35 touchdown passes this season, surpassing Philip Rivers’ 2008 mark of 34. Herbert tied it with 14 seconds remaining in the first half on an 8-yard throw to Keenan Allen to give the Bolts a 17-0 lead. He set the mark early in the fourth quarter on a 45-yard TD to Mike Williams, which put the Chargers up 34-6.
Herbert completed 22 of 31 passes for 237 yards. He became the fastest player to reach 800 career completions (31 games) and at 23 years, 298 days is the second-youngest player in league history to get to 65 TD passes
Carolina Panthers 10-18 New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara turned a short pass into New Orleans’ first touchdown in more than 11 quarters, Brett Maher kicked four field goals, and the Saints beat the reeling Carolina Panthers 18-10 on Sunday.
The third victory in four games for the Saints (8-8) – just their second triumph in the Superdome in their regular-season home finale – assured New Orleans would head into the final week of the regular season still in the hunt for an NFC wild-card spot.
Taysom Hill completed 17 of 28 passes for 222 yards and also led the Saints in rushing with 45 yards while playing behind an offensive line missing four season-opening starters. Marquez Callaway caught six passes for 97 yards and Kamara had five catches for 68 yards, including his 12-yard TD in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans’ defense did the rest, sacking Sam Darnold seven times. Cameron Jordan had 3 1/2 sacks, his third straight game with at least two. CJ Gardner Johnson sealed it with an interception in the final minute, dooming the Panthers (5-11) to a sixth straight loss.
New Orleans finished the game with Hill triumphantly taking a knee as fans belted out chants of, “Who-dat say they gonna’ beat them Saints!”
Darnold, who resumed the starting role he held earlier this season after Cam Newton had started in Carolina’s previous five losses, completed 17 of 26 passes for 132 yards.
Minnesota Vikings 10-37 Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, AJ Dillon ran for two more scores and the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 37-10 on Sunday night to wrap up the NFC’s No 1 playoff seed.
Green Bay’s victory, coupled with Philadelphia’s 20-16 triumph at Washington earlier in the day, dropped the Vikings (7-9) from postseason contention and gave the Eagles a playoff berth. The Vikings were playing without quarterback Kirk Cousins after he was placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list Friday.
The Packers (13-3) are the lone NFL team with an unbeaten home record and have a chance to reach the Super Bowl without leaving Lambeau Field. Sunday night’s game exemplified the potential advantage the Packers have playing home games in January, as the temperature was 11 degrees with a wind chill of 1F just before kickoff.
Green Bay have won 13 straight regular-season home games, but lost 31-26 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last season’s NFC championship game. The Packers haven’t reached the Super Bowl since their 2010 title and have lost in the conference championship game four of the last seven seasons.
Rodgers went 29 of 38 for 288 yards with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard and an 11-yarder to Davante Adams, who had 11 catches for 136 yards. Adams has 117 receptions to break the Packers’ season record he set last year.
