The Bucs defense, who accumulated 48 bags during the regular season, did not put as much pressure on Heinicke as he expected, only firing him twice. Heinicke also escaped the pressure and ran for 46 yards and a touchdown in six races.
“He was very evasive,” said Arians. “We knew he would fight, there would be pirates and disputes. We waited a lot for Alex, because we knew that part of the game would not be there. He made a lot of really good plays and showed some stance.
The Bucs got a chance from Heinicke, with ILB Kevin Minter dropping a first-quarter pass that led to Sean Murphy-Bunting’s diving interception on the Buccaneers’ 42-yard line. Brady completed the next race with a 36-yard touchdown pass to WR Antonio Brown. Brady later hit WR Chris Godwin on a 27-yard pass in the second quarter and the Buccaneers never lost in the game.
“I believe that we scored possession after [his interception], so we went up at the beginning of the game, “said Murphy-Bunting.” It was exactly the spark we needed. We started slowly, on both sides of the ball, actually, and that spark gave us some points on the board, it kind of gave us a few points in half and that’s what we really needed. “
Additional game details (score in bold):
The Buccaneers took the ball first to start the game and moved quickly with a 15-yard return from Evans who took a mask penalty at the end to eliminate it to the Bucs’ 49. Two races by Leonard Fournette had 15 yards and a first in the other half of the field. A thin pole for Godwin fell 17 yards in Washington’s red zone. The Bucs faced a third and three at Washington 11, after an impressive seven-yard run by Fournette, but Brady was forced to throw it out on the third down and Ryan Succop came to punch a 29-yard field goal for a Buccaneers 3-0 lead.
Wshington’s first thrust started with a four-yard loss, with Barrett gaining penetration on the left side and knocking Gibson down with a four-leg loss. The football team failed to recover and had to kick away from its 25. Tress Way’s 50-yard kick helped push the Bucs back to their own 31.
Godwin fought for a first down in a 12-yard second downhill run to start the next move and two Fournette races made the third for four at Bucs ’47. A game delay pushed him back to third and nine, and CB Kendall Fuller was able to break the pass on another Evans comebacker.
Washington’s second race started on its own 14. The football team quickly found themselves in a third and six, but WR Cam Sims worked in an open area on the right side for a 36-yard gain. However, after S Antoine Winfield, Jr. knocked down RB Antonio Gibson for a loss of one, the ILB blitzing Kevin Minter deflected a second-pass pass, resulting in a float that Murphy-Bunting dived to catch for an impressive interception in Tampa Bay 42.
Brady converted a third and early 10 with a laser for WR Scotty Miller for 15 yards for Washington 39 and two runs from Ke’Shawn Vaughn made the third and three on 36. Brady feigned a transfer to Vaughn on the third down and then found an open Brown on the right side for a 36-yard touchdown and made it 9-0 when Succop’s extra point attempt was blocked.
The Football Team had its next match with great success when Heinicke was kicked out of the pocket, but managed a 24-yard pass to TE Logan Thomas. On the next play, Heinicke fired a javelin through the left seam at McLaurin for another 18 yards to pass the ball through midfield. Two moves later, Heinicke escaped an almost sack and fought for a first fall in the Bucs’ 21 to end the first quarter. After the teams switched sides, the Bucs forced a third to eight, but Heinicke jumped under pressure for Sims for 10 yards and a first drop at nine. Three moves later, McKissic made a handoff in a draw and cut off the right guard for a two-yard touchdown.
Washington apparently tried to catch the Buccaneers off guard with a side kick attempt, but OLB Anthony Nelson fell on him at Tampa Bay 39. A submission at Brown got 22 yards for Washington 39. A run and a reception by Fournette got third and three and Brady returned to Fournette in his third fall drop to get another five and a first fall in the 27th. On the next play, Godwin started moving in the right slot and ran a flag route with Brady hitting him for the 27-yard touchdown. The Bucs went for two, but failed when Fournette stumbled before crossing the line on a delivery underneath.
Washington started its next race at 25 and converted a third and five with a Sims slope that had just enough with Jamel Dean in tight coverage. After an 11-yard run around Gibson’s left end, Washington entered Bucs territory in an eight-yard catch from McLaurin. The Bucs then forced a third to nine on their own 41 and CB Carlton Davis made a dive pass split in front of the Sims to force a kick. It was just captured by Jaydon Mickens at 13.
Two Fournette races started the next unit with 12 yards and a first descent. A well-designed screen for Fournette on the next move was good for 22 yards for Bucs ’47 and Brady then found TE Cameron Brate for 19 yards down the right side for Washington 34. Two moves later, Brate opened up straight to the left and Brady found him for another 24 yards to seven. Washington CB Ronald Darby made an impressive pass on a second descent for Godwin and TE Rob Gronkowski failed to put his feet deep in the end zone on the third descent. Bucs settled for Succop’s 23-yard field goal and an 18-7 lead with 1:50 remaining in the first half.
In the first play of the next Washington shot, OLB Anthony Nelson knocked Heinicke down by a six-yard sack. The ball dropped and was apparently recovered by the Bucs, but Heinicke was discarded and a replay review did not change that. The Bucs’ defense still managed a third and a resulting punt returned to Tampa Bay’s attack at 26 with 90 seconds remaining.
A 13-yard Brown footprint took him to 39, but the drive stopped after that. Brady’s next two passes were incomplete and he was fired by Montez Sweat after a long time in his pocket on the third downhill. Bradley Pinion’s next punt stopped at Washington 10 with 30 seconds to go. The football team played three matches before the end of time.
Washington picked up the ball to start the second half, opening in his own 30, after Danny Johnson’s initial 31-yard return. Heinicke found McLaurin for a 12 yard win to the left against a Bucs blitz, and two moves later left a 29 yard hole in a hole on the left side for Thomas. Tampa Bay’s defense remained at that point, although S Jordan Whitehead missed an opportunity to intercept on the third down. The football team turned this into a 36-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins.
Tampa Bay’s attack failed with their first shot in the second half. After a three-and-out, Pinion’s shot jumped out of bounds at Washington 42. The Bucs’ defense responded with his own three-and-out, triggered by a Jason Pierre-Paul pass break, and the punt result led to a bizarre streak. Washington S Troy Apke thought the jumping shot had hit Ryan Smith from Tampa Bay and he ran the ball loose into the final zone. As the ball did not touch Smith, Apke’s play resulted in a touchback.
The Bucs faced a third for eight moments later, but Evans ran a sharp route and slid to the ground for a 13-yard reception. A deep shot for Evans two strokes later came out of his hand, but Brady converted a third fall with a 14-yard stroke for Brate. Unfortunately, Vaughn fumbled at the end of a six-yard run on the next play and Washington recovered on its own.
The football team’s next campaign began with a 19-yard run for Sims and two moves after Heinicke moved forward by 13 yards. Murphy-Bunting pulled a leash-like flag on the next move to place the ball on the Bucs’ 13-yard line. Three moves later, in the third and five-goal, Heinicke escaped what appeared to be a safe bag, staggered to the left and dived to the touchdown post for a touchdown.. Washington tried two and a draw, but failed.
The Bucs’ next shot started with a surprising drop from Godwin, but Brady found Brate again on the third down with a 23-yard win for Washington 45. The last move from the third quarter was a 17-yard finish for Evans to 23. After an eight-yard run from Fournette and a five-yard sack from Jonathan Allen, Brady played incomplete on the third down and Bucs settled for Succop’s 38-yard field goal and a five-point advantage with 13:32 remaining in the regulation.
The Tampa Bay defense followed with a three-and-out pressured by pressure from Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Jason Pierre-Paul. The football team’s kick was knocked out on 31 of the Bucs.
The Bucs’ attack went off firing at the next unit. Brady found a 17-yard sliding Evans down the right side and Fournette found a seam in the middle for another 17 for Washington 32. An end-around for Miller got eight more and Fournette increased the middle for a first drop at 22. The next, Brady climbed into his pocket to save time and gave Evans a 19-yard pass for a first and a goal for three. The Bucs chose to launch the first down and seemed to get a touchdown on a quick throw for Brate, but the play was revised and found to be incomplete. That was a slight delay, as Fournette ran over the left guard for a three-yard touchdown on the next move to a 28-16 lead with nine minutes remaining in regulation time..
Heinicke, who went to the locker room to check for an injured left shoulder during the Bucs ‘previous possession, hit Sims again for 23 yards against the Bucs’ 40. Four moves later, McLaurin made a 16-yard jump reception and a first in Bucs’ 11th. Lavonte David’s tip on a second down pass made the third to 10, but Washington stayed alive when Heinicke played 11 perfect yards for the Sims for a touchdown.
Two moves to the next drive, Brady cornered a low snap and threw a perfect pass across the left sideline for Evans for 38 yards. A Daron Payne sack placed the Bucs in a third for 18 at Washington 35 and a 16-yard Godwin catch-and-run placed the Bucs close enough to Succop’s fourth goal, a 37-yard scorer who escaped from the right-hand side to make an eight-point game with three minutes remaining.
Washington quickly took the next step in the Bucs territory with catches of 16 yards by McLaurin and 10 by Sims. David put the football team in a life-and-death situation with a third Heinicke sack for 11 yards, making him fourth at 21 from the Washington 20 at the two-minute notice. The Bucs defense pressed Heinicke to desperation to play on the right touchline and