Tom Brady will appear in his 10th Super Bowl after the Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31-26 in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
Brady got off to a blistering start on Sunday as he threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. But it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for Tampa’s offense in the second half. Brady tossed a trio of interceptions in the contest’s final 30 minutes, allowing Green Bay to recover from a 28-10 deficit early in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay’s defense bailed out its veteran quarterback. The Buccaneers forced a punt after two of Brady’s interceptions, and they then held firm in the red zone as the Packers kicked a field goal to cut the deficit to five points with just over two minutes remaining. Tampa Bay wideout Tyler Johnson then drew a pass interference call on the game’s penultimate series, sealing a Buccaneers victory.
Sunday’s victory will send the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl and their first since defeating the Raiders in 2002. Brady appeared in nine Super Bowls across 19 seasons, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy six times. He will face the winner of Bills vs. Bucs on Feb. 7 as he seeks his seventh ring.