EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It's a divided Bucs nation that must come together, but the debate will rage on.
Who was most responsible for the team that showed almost no life at MetLife Stadium in Monday night's 25-23 win over the Giants?
Tom Brady. Of course, it had to be the quarterback who has lost two Super Bowls to the blue men group from New York.
Brady connected on the first four passes he threw Monday. Then he started sailing the football like kites in the wind. He missed high. He missed wide. Mostly, he kept missing seldom-used receiver Jaydon Mickens, who had six targets and three receptions for 20 yards in the first half alone.
Of course, Brady was brilliant when it mattered most, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to give the Bucs the lead with 9:02 to play in the fourth quarter.
It was the defense. You bet it was the defense.
After a dominant performance the past two weeks, Todd Bowles' crew played on their heels for much of the game Monday night.
The Bucs entered as the league's No. 1 rush defense, allowing only 66 yards rushing per game. The Giants got 64 in the first half alone, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt.
But interceptions of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones by Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting led to 10 second-half points.
The Bucs needed rookie Antoine Winfield to knock down a two-point conversion pass from Jones to Dion Lewis to preserve the win. A flag was thrown but picked up after officials huddled.
Maybe it was expectations.
The Bucs were being hailed as the best team in the NFC and easily could have been looking ahead to Sunday's NFC South showdown against the Saints.
"Coach (Bruce) Arians talked to us about it last night. Assume nothing," Brady said before the game. "Any team in the NFL, regardless of their record, has incredibly talented players. They're going to come out fired up. It's Monday Night Football and we're expecting their best game and we're going to have to find a way to score points in some tough weather conditions."
Whatever the reason, on a frigid 39-degree night at the Meadowlands, the Bucs took some time to warm up. Nonetheless, the victory gave the Bucs their first 6-2 start since the 2002 season, which culminated with a win in Super Bowl 37.
Davis' interception of Jones to start the third quarter led to the third of four field goals by Ryan Succop.
Then Brady finally got the Bucs in the end zone with his 3-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski, his third of the season. The two-point conversion pass to Mike Evans failed but the Bucs had their first lead, 15-14.
The Giants answered, with Jones connecting with Evan Engram for 30 yards. Graham Gano's 33-yard field goal left Tampa Bay trailing again 17-15 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
But it was Murphy-Bunting's interception of a Jones' pass to Golden Tate in the fourth quarter that loomed largest. It set up a 66-yard drive capped by the touchdown pass to Evans. And Winfield made it hold up.
