Brady eliminated with Bucs vs. Cowboys, superstar's future open

Tuesday, 01/17/2023, 07:48

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season is over after the Dallas Cowboys smashed their bankruptcy. The 45-year-old superstar avoids making clear statements about his future.

Tampa (Fl.) – The wild card round of the NFL playoffs came to an end with a crushing loss for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In what may be their last game with Brady as quarterback, the Florida team lost 14:31 to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday evening (local time).

At halftime it was already 18-0 for the Texans around quarterback Dak Prescott. Only annoyed by a record number of extra points awarded, Dallas will face the 49ers in Sunday’s divisional round in San Francisco. Prescott, unlike Brady, had a strong evening, throwing four passes for touchdowns and getting one more.

For Brady and the Bucs, on the other hand, a disappointing season is over, and there has been speculation for a long time about a farewell to the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Even the end of the 45-year-old’s career is not entirely out of the question. In the 23rd NFL year, Brady had experienced more losses than wins in the main round for the first time with just eight wins in 17 games.

For a long time, the Bucs didn’t develop any danger at all against the Cowboys and even after the first touchdown at the end of the third quarter they were largely without a chance. Bucs pro Russell Gage apparently injured his neck and neck in a collision three minutes before the end of the game and was only able to leave the field with the help of a vehicle.

Brady avoided a clear statement about his future as a professional football player after the game. “I’m going home and trying to sleep as well as I can tonight,” said the 45-year-old. “There was a lot of focus on that game. One day at a time, really.” Saying goodbye at his press conference, Brady also said, “I love this organization and it’s a great place.” Brady announced his retirement a year ago, but changed his mind after 40 days and decided to return to the Bucs.

Dallas kicker Brett Maher will have bad memories of the evening despite the win. He missed all three extra points on his team’s touchdowns in the first half and set a record negative in the playoffs, which he promptly extended to four missed extra points in the second half. He finally scored after the Cowboys’ fifth touchdown. In the main round, Maher successfully kicked the ball between the posts in 50 of 53 extra point attempts. (APA/dpa)