It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game.

The Bucs raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead over the Bills thanks to two touchdowns from Tom Brady. But Buffalo owned the second half as Tampa Bay faltered, outscoring the Bucs, 24-3 in the second half and sending the game to overtime. Brady was perfect in OT, throwing a 58-yard touchdown pass to seldom used receiver Breshad Perriman to win the game and help the Bucs improve to 10-3 on the season, which matches the best start in franchise history.

2 BIG STATEMENTS

STATEMENT 1: Enjoy Brady’s Brilliance While You Can, Bucs Fans

Enjoy Tom Brady.

Savor him.

Soak Brady in.

Don’t think about the playoffs yet – let alone another Super Bowl.

Don’t even think about the Saints game this coming Sunday.

Think about how wonderful Brady was in leading the Bucs to a 33-27 overtime win against the Bills with a thrilling, 58-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman.

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: USA Today

Let Brady linger. Let this last because it will be over before you know it.

This is as good as it gets, Bucs fans – having Brady under center.

There will never be another quarterback like Brady to suit up in red and pewter – because there is not another quarterback like Brady. Nor will there be.

This is once-in-a-lifetime quarterback play we’re witnessing in Tampa Bay.

This is a gift from the football gods for the awful 0-26 start to the Bucs franchise from 1976-77. Brady is retribution for the dismal 31 losing seasons in Tampa Bay history, and the 34 years of the Bucs not making the playoffs.

This is not to say that the Bucs won’t win another Super Bowl once Brady (eventually) retires. Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl with a good, but not great quarterback in Brad Johnson. It can be done.

But the Bucs won’t have an offense this consistently prolific – not without Brady.

Raymond James Stadium was supposed to become Raymond “Jameis” Stadium when the Bucs drafted Jameis Winston with the first overall pick in 2015. Instead, Brady has turned Ray-Jay into “Tompa Bay” where he is now 12-3 over the last two years, including the Bucs’ 31-9 win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LV.

Forget the fact that Brady is now 33-3 versus Buffalo all-time thanks to Sunday’s win, or the fact that he’s now 107-1 in games when leading by 21 points or more. Brady is 25-8 as Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback and that’s all that matters. That’s a winning percentage of 75.8 percent.

If only Brady was 34 years old and not 44 – right, Bucs fans? If only this could last a decade rather than just a few more years, right? Because this is fun, isn’t it?

Brady certainly wasn’t perfect in Sunday’s win against Buffalo, a team that he has complete mastery over dating back to his days clashing in the AFC East as a New England Patriot. He completed 19-of-26 passes (73 percent) for 216 yards and a touchdown in the first half, helping the Bucs convert 5-of-8 third downs (62.5 percent) en route to a 24-3 lead at halftime.

Brady had a couple of poor throws in the second half that stymied Tampa Bay’s offense, which converted just 1-of-6 third downs (16.7 percent). He completed just 8-of-16 passes (50 percent) for 76 yards in the second half and helped the Bucs score only three points to aid the Bills’ 24-3 comeback in the second half.

“Obviously just missed a lot of throws in the second half or it wouldn’t have been that close,” Brady told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game. “You know they fought back. They’re a well-coached team. I’m glad we came away [with the victory] at the end. The defense made some huge stops and we should have … you know we’ve got to make some improvements and hit some of those throws that are there and make it a little easier. But glad we came off overtime and you know, made some plays. BP made a great catch-and-run.”

“We played really good in the first half and then I just missed a bunch of throws in the second half and gave them a lot of chances. The defense got some turnovers and some short fields and we didn’t do anything with them. They played really great down the stretch, held them to a field goal at the end and then got us the ball in overtime. Made some great plays – 94-yard drive or whatever that was – for the win.”

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians agreed with Brady’s assessment, noting that his QB “missed wide open guys.”

“I didn’t like the second half – offense especially,” Arians said. “Not making third down [conversions], giving the ball back to them and not [staying on] the field. But it showed a lot of our toughness and we had the stop in overtime. Obviously, Tom and ‘BP’ (Breshad Perriman) made the big play to win the game, but overall, they’re a really good football team and so are we.”

Brady was 4-of-4 for 71 yards in overtime, including the 58-yard game-winning scoring strike to Perriman. His errant throws in the second half ultimately didn’t matter. His brilliance in overtime, converting two big third downs, including the touchdown on third-and-3, is ultimately what counts.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Who would’ve thrown for 363 yards with two touchdowns and scored a rushing TD in Sunday’s 33-27 overtime winner against the Bills – and doing so with no turnovers?

Winston? Johnson? Josh McCown? Josh Freeman? Vinny Testaverde?

No.

Brady is just a winner. That’s who he is. Winning is what he does.

In his 22 years in the NFL, Brady has 240 regular season victories, and has won a total of 274 games including the postseason. To put that in perspective, the Bucs – as a franchise that has been around since 1976 – only have 298 wins over four decades, including the postseason.

Tampa Bay’s 94-yard scoring drive in overtime is the longest in the NFL dating back to at least 2001, according to Stathead. Brady’s game-winning TD to Perriman marked his 700th career touchdown (regular season and postseason), which makes him the only player in NFL history to have 700 total touchdowns.

With his 18th completion in the game, Brady surpassed Drew Brees (7,142) for the most regular season completions in NFL history.

More records for Brady. More wins for the Bucs. And more fun for Tampa Bay fans.

General manager Jason Licht is doing his damnedest to build a team that is not going to stink once Brady leaves. But there will a noticeable drop-off at quarterback when Brady eventually retires – hopefully after a couple more years. Perhaps after a couple more Super Bowls.

But that day is coming sooner rather than later, Bucs fans.

Appreciate Brady’s brilliance while you can. One win at a time.

STATEMENT 2: Brady Shows Another Side To His Game In Bucs’ Win

Not only did Tom Brady beat the Bills with his arm on a 58-yard touchdown pass in overtime, he also beat Buffalo with his legs. And with his moxie.

Brady has mastered the art of the QB sneak, and that came in handy with a 2-yard plunge on third-and-1 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But Brady, who had offseason knee surgery, wasn’t done using his legs to pick up first downs. On the next play, Brady’s protection broke down, and with the Bills in man coverage, the 44-year old quarterback saw daylight and ran 12 yards for another first down. Then on third-and-2 at the Buffalo 23, Brady plunged ahead for a 3-yard gain and another first down.

At that point, Brady had outrushed Bills scrambler Josh Allen 17 yards to 14 yards, picking up three first downs in the process. That drive ended up with Ryan Succop kicking a 23-yard field goal, but Brady would score a 1-yard touchdown right before halftime on another successfully executed QB sneak.

Brady also pushed and shoved a couple of Bills defenders that tried to give him the business when he was in the pile on those QB sneaks, including the touchdown. The future Hall of Famer has the reputation for being one of the most mentally tough quarterbacks in NFL history – not one of the most physically tough.

But in a game against a rough-and-tumble opponent like Buffalo, Brady showed some physical toughness, too.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: What Happened To The Bucs Run Defense?

Well, Tampa Bay’s run defense got gashed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries (9.1 avg.) with most of the damage – 127 yards on 14 carries (9.1 avg.) – coming in the second half with Buffalo trailing 24-3.

“Nobody runs the ball on us,” Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said after Tampa Bay’s 38-31 win at Indianapolis a few weeks ago. “I don’t care who the hell you are.”

Well, Arians was wrong on Sunday. The Bucs came in to the Bills game leading the league in run defense, allowing 79.1 yards per game. Now Tampa Bay ranks third behind Tennessee (90.9 ypg) and Baltimore (85.5 ypg), allowing 91.2 yards per game on the ground.

Bills QB Josh Allen – Photo by: USA Today

When teams try to run against the Bucs’ base defense they often lose, as Tampa Bay’s front seven resembles a brick wall, especially if a safety is loading the box. But teams like Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Buffalo that have spread the Bucs out with three and four receiver sets that force Tampa Bay into nickel and dime defenses have had success on the ground. The Bucs are not the greatest tackling team in space, and have struggled to find an answer when opponents decide to run the ball in the second half as Tampa Bay is anticipating a pass. That’s something that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will need to study prior to the playoffs and figure out a way to slow it down.

Both the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Bills’ Josh Allen hurt the Bucs with some designed QB run plays. If Tampa Bay has to battle Arizona in the playoffs, the Cardinals could be a deadly opponent with Kyler Murray’s ability to do the same thing. In fact, look for the Saints to come out and run some QB run game with Taysom Hill in next Sunday’s game. Hill ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries against the Jets on Sunday, and had 101 yards rushing on 11 carries versus Dallas two weeks ago.

QUESTION 2: Could Miller Have Made That Game-Winning TD, Too?

No, not really. Scotty Miller, who was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game, is more of a vertical threat than he is as a middle crosser in Tampa Bay’s passing attack. The reason why Breshad Perriman has been getting more reps than Miller in recent weeks is because he’s got the combination of size and speed that head coach Bruce Arians loves.

Perriman is 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and clocked a 4.25 in the 40-yard dash at the UCF pro day in 2015. Miller is 5-foot-9, 174 pounds and ran a 4.36 coming out in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Bucs planned on running the ball against the Bills on Sunday – Leonard Fournette led the way with 113 yards and a touchdown – and Perriman is a better blocker.

“He’s big, but he’s really fast,” Arians said. “And that’s a great combination. He’ll block, and he’s a good route runner over the middle. The way he finished that last year with us (in 2019) with three 100-yard games, he’s always stood out in my mind as a complete football player.”

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: USA Today

Perriman has been a bit of a disappointment since arriving in Tampa Bay after failing to win a job in Detroit and Chicago earlier this year. Prior to his 58-yard game-winning touchdown catch, Perriman had been targeted eight times and caught only three passes for 24 yards. Perriman dropped a TD against the Giants, and also had a drop against the Falcons as well.

After the game, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady alluded to the fact that Perriman perhaps hadn’t really earned his trust until that game-winning score.

“BP’s done a good job really since he was here a couple of years ago,” Brady told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game. “Everyone really loves him – his work ethic, his talent, what he’s doing for our team. It was great to see him make that play. It’s going to give us all a lot of confidence, and obviously I’m allowed to learn from every game.”

Perriman’s big touchdown only solidified Arians’ justification for using him over Miller. However, once Antonio Brown returns to action after the Saints game, Perriman will move a rung down the Bucs’ receiving ladder. In the meantime, he’ll look to build on his splash play with a more consistent showing in Week 15.

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1: Bucs Beat The Saints, Steal Their Crown

Tampa Bay didn’t have a chance to clinch the NFC South title on Sunday with a win against Buffalo. But all it did was set up an opportunity for the Bucs to rip the NFC South crown right off the Saints’ head at home in Tampa on Sunday Night Football.

It will be a revenge game for the Bucs, who have been swept by the Saints in the regular season in each of the last three seasons, and lost in New Orleans earlier this year, 36-27. Tampa Bay’s coaches have been out-coached by Sean Payton and Dennis Allen. That has to change in order for the Bucs to emerge victorious. I think they get the job done.

PREDICTION 2: Barrett Adds To Sack Total Next Sunday

Bucs outside linebacker Shaq Barrett had 1.5 sacks in the 33-27 win over the Bills, and has racked up 3.5 sacks over the last three games combined. Barrett has only had one sack against the Saints in the last six meetings, including last year’s 30-20 playoff win in New Orleans, but that should change with Taysom Hill at quarterback.

Hill, who is a scrambling quarterback similar to Josh Allen, will hold on to the ball longer than he should, and run into some sacks. Hill has been sacked a total of five times over the last two games, including three times in Sunday’s 30-9 win against the Jets. Barrett leads the Bucs with nine sacks. He should hit double-digits with at least one more on Sunday against Hill.