Tampa Bay Pirates 31-15 Philadelphia Hawks
At the end of the game, Tom Brady raised his arms on the sideline, spun triumphantly in circles and threw a rugby ball into the stands.
The Tampa Bay Pirates and their elated 44-year-old quarterback took the first step back to the Super Bowl, winning 31-15 over the Philadelphia Hawks in a National League wild card game. "But from now on, the next games will be more and more difficult." The seven-time Super Bowl winner said he tried to lead the pirates, just as he led the New England Patriots to two consecutive titles in the 2003 and 04 seasons to defend the title.
The Pirates mastered the rhythm of the game at the start of the game, with Brady throwing two long passes in the first quarter to build a 17-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Brady connected Rob Gronkowski to get a 2-yard touchdown in the game, and then found Mike Evans to complete a 36-yard passing touchdown, improving his playoff record to 35-11.
In addition, the Pirates defense also played a role, completing two interceptions in philadelphia quarterback Jaylen Hertz's playoff debut. "We played well today," Brady said, "and we have to keep playing like this." The defence was also great, so it was a well-deserved team win. I would also like to praise the Special Service, it was the best they played. Brady hit 29 of 37 shots and 2 touchdowns without being intercepted, raising his playoff touchdown record to 85.
Brady's favorite pass target is Evans, who finished nine of the 10 sights and advanced 117 yards to get a 1 touchdown. After 20 seasons with the Patriots, Brady joined the Pirates in 2020 and currently has a 5-0 playoff record. "I don't take it for granted," Evans said of Brady's leadership: "When he came to this team, I knew it was going to change the temperament of this team, and he did. He makes sure we're all ready at all times, that we know what to do, and that's all you ask of leaders. ”
San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys
After the defensive group made a cut against Dako Wiaco Prescott, 49ers outside receiver Dibo Samuel ran a 26-yard touchdown and the 49ers beat the Cowboys 23-17.
With 32 seconds left to finish the game, the Cowboys have one last chance to stage a comeback with the ball back. But the Cowboys lined up at 41 yards in the 49ers half, 14 seconds, Prescott actually chose a rush, and then the Cowboys rushed to line up, but the time was still over. Interestingly, the assistant referee played a key role in this slot, rushing over just to adjust the tee position of a few feet, but bumping into Prescott and fiddling with rugby twice, wasting at least three seconds of tee time for the cowboy.
"It's really hard," Jimmy Gallopolo said of the final moments: "It was a scuffle and the fans on the side of the pitch put a lot of pressure on us. I mean, the fans feel 'crazy' and make the atmosphere enough. But everything was as good as we thought it would be, and it was fun. ”
The game was played until the last second, and the 49ers had a 16-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys scored 10 straight points to chase the suspense back. Another big reason for the Cowboys' loss was fouls, and according to statistics, the Cowboys had a total of 14 fouls in this game and scored 89 yards.
After today's game, the 49ers have decided to face top seed Green Bay Packers in the next division round. The pirate's opponent is tomorrow's winner between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams.
(Great White)