Tom Brady hits a record-breaking fourth-quarter comeback in game #44 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints

CNN
–

When his team trails in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady It is almost inevitable.

Down 13 points against the New Orleans Saints in the closing minutes, Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an improbable 17-16 win on Monday Night Football.

In the process, he passed Peyton Manning for the most career fourth quarter returns (44) in NFL history.

The win was unusual even by Brady standards, marking the largest fourth-quarter regular season comeback of his career, according to ESPN.

“Just as we painted it,” the 45-year-old replied as he arrived at the post-match press conference, prompting a flurry of laughter from those present.

The comeback began with 5:21 remaining when Brady led the Bucs on a 10 drive that ended when Cade found Otton on a one-yard touchdown pass.

That brought Tampa Bay within six points before Brady orchestrated an 11-play game-winning touchdown run and found Rashad White for a touchdown with three seconds left in the game.

Ryan Succop’s extra point made the difference between the two teams, moving the Bucs to 6-6 on the season at the top of the NFC South while the Saints fell to 4-9.

Brady finished the night with 36 of 54 passes for 281 yards and later dedicated the win to his daughter Vivian, who celebrated her 10th birthday on Monday.

Having announced his retirement earlier this year only to reverse resolutionThe win was proof that the seven-time Super Bowl champion wasn’t done yet on the football field.

“We’ve got a lot of games to go, some we’ve won and some we’ve lost, and that’s why we’re 6-6,” Brady told reporters. “This is not where we want to be, but we will keep fighting.”

For the Saints, it was a disappointing night against their rivals at Raymond James Stadium.

Quarterback Andy Dalton was 20 of 28 for 229 yards and 1 touchdown, which came when he connected with Taisum Hill in the second quarter. Otherwise, they were tied to three field goals by Will Lutz.

“I feel like a broken record saying the same thing over and over,” He said Dalton. “We just missed opportunities.”

Coach Dennis Allen Dalton shared his frustration: “We gave ourselves every chance and didn’t make it… I felt like we had a chance to win this game and we didn’t finish,” he said.

New Orleans this weekend and the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 18, while Tampa Bay takes on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.