Tom Brady on Sunday threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the New Orleans Saints in the NFL playoffs, while defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs withstood Patrick Mahomes suffering a concussion to oust the Cleveland Browns.
Six-time Super Bowl champion Brady and a defensive unit that forced four turnovers sparked the visiting Bucs to a 30-20 victory over the Drew Brees-led Saints, while Mahomes threw for one touchdown and ran for another before exiting in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 22-17 triumph.
“The defense was the key to the game. It was huge,” Brady said. “Our defense really balled out, got the turnovers we needed.”
Photo: AFP
Both winners advanced to within one game of next month’s Super Bowl in Tampa, the Buccaneers booking a date next Sunday at Green Bay in the National Football Conference Championship game, while the Chiefs are to host the Buffalo Bills in the American Football Conference Championship game.
In his first Bucs season after 20 years in New England, 43-year-old Brady beat 42-year-old Brees in a duel of the all-time NFL passing yardage leaders.
That earned a showdown with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who lost 38-10 to Tampa Bay in October last year.
“It’s great for our team. We worked hard to get to this point,” Brady said. “We’re going to be playing a great football team. Aaron Rodgers is playing incredible.”
Mahomes, last year’s Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, completed 21 of 30 passes for 255 yards, but suffered a concussion when slammed to the turf by Browns linebacker Mack Wilson.
“When any of our teammates go down, we all step up for one another,” Chiefs receiver Tyrann Mathieu said.
Mahomes must complete NFL concussion protocols before he can return to face the Bills, who lost to the Chiefs 26-17 in October last year.
“He’s actually doing very well. He’s feeling pretty good,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He got hit in the back of the head and kind of knocked the wind out of him, and everything else with it. He’s doing great right now ... we’ll see where it goes from here.”
In New Orleans, Brady completed 18 of 33 passes for 199 yards, while Brees, who led New Orleans to a 2010 Super Bowl victory, completed 19 of 34 for 134 yards in what could be his NFL farewell.
“He’s an incredible player,” Brady said.
In Kansas City, Missouri, Baker Mayfield flipped a four-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry to lift Cleveland within 19-10 early in the third quarter.
On Kansas City’s next possession, Mahomes was slammed down by Wilson and knocked out of the game.
“I pray you back next week,” Wilson wrote on Twitter. “Go be great like you have been.”
In reply, Mahommes wrote: “All good brother!”
The Chiefs added a 33-yard Harrison Butker field goal, but Cleveland marched 75 yards on 18 plays in 8:17 and pulled within the final margin on Kareem Hunt’s three-yard touchdown run.
After a Karl Joseph interception ended a Chiefs drive, Kansas City forced a Cleveland punt and the Chiefs ran out the clock, thanks to a 13-yard run by reserve quarterback Chad Henne and his five-yard pass to Tyreek Hill for a fourth-down conversion.
“I’m proud of Chad and the way he handled everything,” Reid said.
“We hurt ourselves in the first half and they capitalized,” Mayfield said. “We gave it our all. It’s just unfortunate to come up short. It sucks.”
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