The Seattle Seahawks scored 13 unanswered points as they threatened to overturn an 18-point deficit after touchdowns from Julio Jones, Leonard Fournette and Chris Godwin had put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in control on their way to a 21-16 win at Munich's Allianz Arena
Sunday 13 November 2022 18:00, UK
Tom Brady bolstered his glittering list of career landmarks as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 21-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the first NFL regular-season game to be played in Germany.
The 45-year-old finished 22 of 29 passing for 258 yards and throwing touchdown passes to Julio Jones and Chris Godwin as well as an interception, while Leonard Fournette ran in a score to help Tampa improve to 5-5 on the year following the previous week's dramatic last-second victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
In doing so Brady also became the first NFL player to win a game in four different countries, having been victorious in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico and now Germany. He was also behind the first NFL touchdown pass in Germany, linking up with Jones to put the Bucs ahead in the first half.
The Allianz Arena was playing stage to the first of at least four games to be hosted in Germany and alternated between Munich and Frankfurt through 2025, with the league having received more than three-million ticket requests for Sunday's contest. Interest was matched by a raucous atmosphere at the home of Bayern Munich, where renditions of 'Hey Baby' evoked memories of the nation's NFL Europe days.
Both teams had arrived accompanied by contrasting narratives to that which were projected at the time of the match-up's announcement: Geno Smith entered the back-up quarterback-turned-MVP-contender leading a Seahawks side thriving in the post-Russell Wilson era, while Brady found himself nursing a limping Bucs offense.
Seattle threatened to overturn an 18-point deficit when Smith tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to the diving Marquise Goodwin on fourth-and-one to make it 21-16 with four minutes to play.
Linebacker Cody Barton had set up the tense finish for the Bucs on the previous drive by inflicting Brady’s first interception in 400 attempts on a pass intended for Mike Evans.
Moments earlier Seattle had scored the first of 13 unanswered points in five fourth-quarter minutes through Smith’s 21-yard touchdown strike to Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks subsequently came up short on the two-point conversion attempt.
Tampa went up 21-3 with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth when Brady tossed a low four-yard touchdown pass to Godwin at the end of an 11-play drive boosted by a 29-yard burst from rookie running back Rachaad White and Cade Otton's 25-yard reception.
Seattle had squandered an opportunity to get themselves back in the game on the previous possession as Smith lost a fumble at the Bucs' 13-yard line.
It followed a bizarre play-call from Tampa offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich while up 14-3 in the third, Fournette taking the direct snap at Seattle's 22 before throwing in the direction of Brady, who slipped during his route up the sideline to invite rookie quarterback Tariq Woolen for an easy interception.
The Bucs broke the deadlock early in the second quarter when Jones collected Brady's pass on a crossing route underneath before racing away for a 31-yard touchdown catch-and-run to put Tampa on top after Ryan Succop's early field goal miss.
A swift three-and-out in reply paved the way for Tampa to extend their lead through Fournette's one-yard touchdown run at the end of a 13-play ensuing drive, during which Brady had connected with Godwin and Scotty Miller for respective gains of 19 and 22 yards.
Seattle punted twice more before the end of a first half that saw them manage just 57 total yards on offense as rookie running back Kenneth Walker was limited to eight yards from seven carries in the face of a swarming Todd Bowles defense.
The Seahawks' first points came in the third quarter by way of Jason Myers' 55-yard field goal.
Bucs back White settled any late nerves with runs of 12 and 18 yards to chew down the clock on the final drive following Godwin's touchdown, capping his first career three-figure outing as he finished with 105 yards on the ground from 22 carries.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
