Brady has Buccaneers back in playoffs
DETROIT — Tom Brady was so dominant in Detroit, he could have left Ford Field at halftime to get his favorite chicken wings near the University of Michigan’s campus and still made it back in time to fly to Florida with his team triumphant.
Brady threw four touchdown passes in the only half he needed to play Saturday afternoon, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on to rout the Detroit Lions 47-7, sealing a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
“When we do play the way we’re capable of playing, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Brady said.
The Bucs (10-5) set a franchise record with 588 yards and snapped the NFL’s second-longest postseason drought behind the Cleveland Browns’ 18-year run that can end today.
Tampa Bay rested Brady ahead 34-0, its largest halftime lead in franchise history.
Brady was 22-of-27 passes for 348 yards. The six-time Super Bowl winner threw touchdown passes to former New England Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin — who made a one-handed catch — and Antonio Brown from 33, 27, 7 and 12 yards, respectively.
The 43-year-old Brady, who split time with Drew Henson in college, started his 298th game to tie Brett Favre’s record for an NFL quarterback and played in his 300th game.
The Lions (5-10) avoided getting shut out for the second time this season when Jamal Agnew returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
› San Francisco 20, Arizona 12
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Thirdstring quarterback C.J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes and Jeff Wilson ran for 183 yards as the San Francisco 49ers dealt a brutal blow to the Arizona Cardinals’ playoff hopes.
Beathard, 27, was making his first start since 2018 and was 1-9 as a starting quarterback in the NFL before he was pressed into action against the Cardinals because of injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens.
Beathard completed 13 of 22 passes for 182 yards, Wilson earned hard yards on the ground and the 49ers came up with two big defensive stops late in the fourth quarter, including Ahkello Witherspoon’s interception of Kyler Murray’s pass in the end zone.
The Cardinals (8-7) no longer control their own destiny in the playoff race. If the Chicago Bears win their final two games, they will reach the playoffs because of a tiebreaker over the Cardinals.
Arizona started the day positioned as the No. 7 and final team in the NFC playoff field, but the game was a struggle from the outset. The 49ers (6-9) pulled ahead 14-6 in the third quarter on Beathard’s 9-yard touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Arizona scored its only touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Kenyan Drake jumped on top of a pile and stretched his arm just far enough for a 1-yard score, but Murray couldn’t connect with DeAndre Hopkins on the 2-point conversion attempt.