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Buccaneers vs. Bills Recap: Brady, Perriman Lift Bucs Past Bills, 33-27, In OT

The Buccaneers survived an impressive comeback by the Bills for their 10th win of the year.
Evan Winter|
Buccaneers vs. Bills Recap: Brady, Perriman Lift Bucs Past Bills, 33-27, In OT
Buccaneers vs. Bills Recap: Brady, Perriman Lift Bucs Past Bills, 33-27, In OT

People talked all week long about how this game had a playoff feel around it and sure enough, the hype was real as the Buccaneers (10-3) had to rely on a big play in overtime to outlast the Bills (7-6) on a night where a couple of records were broken in Raymond James Stadium.

Tom Brady threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and Breshad Perriman made the play of the game as he eluded a defender and ran 58-yards into the end zone to win the game in overtime. 

As a result, the Bucs are 10-3 for the first time in history as they enter the final four games of the season.

The Bills won the toss and deferred, so the Bucs offense received the ball to start the game.

An errant snap on the first snap of the game forced Tampa Bay into a 2nd and 24. The Bucs couldn't overcome the lost yardage and had to punt the ball away. Bradley Pinion's punt went for 55-yards and Marquez Stevenson returned it four-yards to the Buffalo 18, which is where the Bill's first drive started.

Andrew Adams came crashing into the backfield after Josh Allen and the Bucs defense sacked him a few plays into the drive to create a 2nd 18. Tampa Bay's pass rush came through with some heavy pressure on the subsequent third down and it was enough to kill the drive. Matt Haack punted the ball and Jaelon Darden returned it 11-yards to the Tampa Bay 33. 

Chris Godwin caught a seven-yard pass to move the chains on 3rd and 2 and then Taron Johnson was hit with a defensive holding call a couple of plays later that set the Bucs up with a 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 47. 

Then, Brady handed the ball off to Leonard Fournette, who took off down the field for a 47-yard touchdown run. Ryan Succop's PAT went through the uprights and the Bucs led, 7-0, with 8:13 to go in the first quarter.

A 14-yard run by Allen highlighted the Bills' second drive, but Devin White and Shaquil Barrett teamed up for the Bucs' second sack of the game. Then, more Tampa Bay pressure on 3rd and long took the Bills offense off the field. Haack's punt landed out of bounds at the Tampa Bay 15 and the Bucs offense took over from there. 

Brady showed off his own set of wheels with a 12-yard run and then he connected with Godwin for 20-yards a couple of plays later to move the offense into Bills territory. Tampa Bay faced a 3rd and 2, but Brady picked up a tough three-yards and even fought through a defender to ensure he got past the sticks. A 16-yard-catch run on the next play by Fournette gave the Bucs a 1st and goal from the Buffalo 4. 

The Bills defense held tough and forced a 23-yard field goal by Succop. The kick was good and the Bucs now led, 10-0, with 13:36 to go in the second quarter. 

Allen opened the drive up with a 25-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders that set his offense up with a first down at midfield. Stefon Diggs followed up with a 24-yard reception of his own a couple plays later and then Gabriel Davis hauled in a 21-yard reception. The Bills faced a 1st goal and from the Bucs' 10 before the Bucs could blink.

But Tampa Bay's defense also held tough and forced a 20-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Bass. The kick went through the uprights and the Bucs' lead was cut to 10-3 with 9:28 left in the first half.

Brady found Godwin over the middle for a 23-yard catch to begin Tampa Bay's next drive. Rob Gronkowski rumbled down the field for 18-yards on the next play and Tampa Bay was already in Buffalo territory. It looked like the Bills got a stop on third down, but Dane Jackson was called for defensive pass interference on Gronk, which gave the Bucs new life at the Buffalo 18. 

The Bucs were up against another third down a few plays later and Brady connected with Mike Evans in the back-left corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. Succop's PAT made it a 17-3 game with 7:11 left in the first half.

This time, it was Devin White who got in on the sack party to kill a Buffalo. He took down Allen for a loss of seven-yards on first down and the Bills eventually punted the ball back to the Bucs. 

Completions of 16-, 13-, and seven-yards to Gronkowski and Godwin (he had the second and third catches) were followed by an eight-yard Fournette run that gave the Bucs a 1st and 10 at the Bills' 29. Brady was able to survive some heavy pressure from the Bills and lofted one 20-yards down the field to Evans, who tiptoed the sideline to set the Bucs up with a 1st and goal from the Buffalo 2. 

It wasn't just any big play, however. The completion was Brady's 7,143th completion, which means he now holds the record for the most completions in NFL history. Drew Brees previously held the record with 7,142 completions.

Two plays later, Brady snuck it in into the end zone from a yard out and Succop's PAT made it a 24-3 game with 1:29 to go in the first half. 

Whatever chance the Bills had at points before halftime ended as Richard Sherman picked off Allen on the right sideline. The Bucs took over at the Buffalo 45 to increase their lead by even more before halftime. 

Tampa Bay couldn't take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back to the Bills, who received the ball with about :40 left on the clock. The Bills couldn't do anything on offense either and went into halftime down 24-3. 

The Bills didn't get to midfield on their opening drive and had to punt. They tried to fake the punt, but Pat O'Connor wasn't fooled whatsoever and tackled Matt Breida for a three-yard loss. The Bucs took over at the Buffalo 42 with a chance to really put the Bills in a bind.

The Bills defense held the Bucs to a 4th and 1, but due to the good field position and the score, the Bucs opted to go for it. The Bills defense held and even almost came away with an interception after the pass was batted at the line of scrimmage.

Buffalo would've taken over at its own 34, but a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call on Ed Oliver pushed the team back to where it started at its own 19, instead.

Devin Singletary broke off a 29-yard run to start the Bills' next drive and then Diggs reeled in a 13-yard reception to move the offense into Bucs territory, but the unit had to get past a 4th and 1 before it could continue with the drive. Allen's legs picked up four-yards and the Bills were given a fresh set of downs at the Tampa Bay 26. 

Allen finally got into the end zone off an 18-yard run a few plays later and Bass' PAT cut the Bucs' lead to 24-10 with 7:29 to go in the third quarter.

Tampa Bay's response didn't go as planned. The Bucs failed to reach midfield and Brady couldn't hit a wide-open Godwin over the middle. Pinion's punt gave the Bills the ball at their own 23. 

Buffalo couldn't do anything on the following drive and had to punt the ball back to the Bucs, who started their next drive at their own 10. 

Evans got the Bucs out of the shadow of their own end zone with a 24-yard reception over the middle. Buffalo appeared to get a stop on a 3rd and 6, but offsetting penalties gave the Bucs another shot and it was Evans again who bailed his team out, except this time it was an 18-yard reception that moved the ball down to the Buffalo 42. 

Fournette placed the Bucs offense inside the red zone with a 21-yard run. The drive eventually stalled inside the Bills' 10, though and Succop was left to attempt a 24-yard field goal. The kick was good and the Bucs led, 27-10, with 11:24 left in the game.

It took the Bills just six plays and a little over two minutes to reach the end zone on their next drive. Allen led the way with 29-yards through the air and 23-yards on the ground as he found Dawson Knox in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass that made it a 27-17 game with 9:07 to go after Bass' PAT. 

A once-efficient Bucs offense continued to struggle, as it went three-and-out on the following drive. A bad situation became worse when Pinion's punt bounced about 10-yards backward, setting the Bills up with the ball at the Tampa Bay 46.

Antoine Winfield Jr. missed a big opportunity to take Singletary down behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 1, which resulted in a first down for the Bills. The Bills eventually crossed into the red zone and then a roughing the passer call on Will Gholston gave them a 1st and goal at the Tampa Bay 4. Allen then hit Gabriel Davis on a slant two plays later for his second touchdown pass and Bass' PAT made it a 27-24 game with 4:53 left in the game. 

Tampa Bay's collapse continued, but the Bills defense also deserved a ton of credit for sacking Brady on 3rd and 6 to kill the drive and give the ball back to the offense. Pinion punted the ball and the Bills took over at their own 23 with a chance to either tie the game or take the lead. 

The Bills were trying everything they could to move the ball, but the Bucs were making them earn every yard and Buffalo eventually faced a 4th and 4 at their own 40 as a result. 

And talk about fighting for every yard: Allen connected with Davis on the right sideline and Davis just barley got past Sean Murphy-Bunting for the first down. 

A 15-yard pass to Cole Beasley helped the Bills offense reach the Tampa Bay 40. Allen then hit Knox a couple plays later for a 24-yard catch-and-run down to the Tampa Bay 14. Now, it was more of a matter as whether or not the Bills would score a touchdown or a field goal with just under :40 left in the game. 

But Tampa Bay's defense held tough on a 3rd and 2. Carlton Davis III was 1-on-1 with Diggs and held tough as Allen's pass sailed over their heads. 

Bass's 25-yard field goal attempt would decide whether or not the game would go to overtime and sure enough, the kick was good and the game went to overtime with both teams tied at 27 apiece.

The Bills won the toss and obviously agreed to start on offense, but went three-and-out and had to punt the ball away. 

Tampa Bay took over at its own time 6 after Haack booted the ball 63-yards down the field. It was a thing of beauty that put the Bucs in terrible field position.

The Bucs quickly faced a 3rd and 1 and Fournette was originally ruled past the sticks, but it was close enough to the point where Buffalo challenged the call. 

The call stood and the Bucs had a 1st and 10 at their own 16. 

Levi Wallace made a huge mistake and got called for DPI on the next play. So the Bucs were now at their own 35, but the Bills defense took Fournette down for a loss of seven-yards that forced the Bucs into a 2nd and 17. 

A 14-yard catch-and-run by Gronkowski put the Bucs in a manageable 3rd and 3. The play ended up being a key play, because it allowed the Bucs to open up their playbook. 

And the play they called? Well, it ended to be the game-winner as Brady hit Perriman over the middle and watched him race 58-yards into the end zone. Tampa Bay would go on to win, 33-27, and move to 10-3 on the season. 

The Bucs will take on the Saints in Week 15. Kickoff is currently set for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 19. 

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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Evan Winter
EVAN WINTER

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