14. 1953 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at 3. 2020 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
3. 2020 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Record: 11-5
Pythag: 11-5
Off: 3rd
Def: 8th
2nd NFC South
d. Redskins WC 31-23
d. Saints Div Rnd 30-20
d. Packers NFC Title 31-26
d. Chiefs Super Bowl 31-9
HC Bruce Arians OC Byron Leftwich DC Todd Bowles
Raymond James Stadium: 75 degrees
Gene Deckerhoff/Dave Moore
Offense
QB Tom Brady 43 Michigan
RB Ronald Jones 23 USC
WR Mike Evans 27 A&M
WR Chris Godwin 24 Penn St
WR Antonio Brown 32 C Mich
TE Rob Gronkowski 31 Arizona
LT Donovan Smith 27 Penn St
LG Ali Marpet 27 Hobart
C Ryan Jensen 29 Col St Pueblo
RG Alex Cappa 25 Humboldt
RT Tristin Wirfs 21 Iowa
Defense
LDE Ndamukong Suh 33 Nebraska
NT Vita Vea 25 Wash
RDE William Gholston 29 Mich St
LOLB Jason Pierre Paul 31 S Florida
LILB Devin White 22 LSU
RILB Lavonte David 30 Nebraska
ROLB Shaq Barrett 28 Col St
LCB Carlton Davis 24 Auburn
FS Jordan Whitehead 23 Pitt
SS Antoine Winfield 22 Minn
RCB Sean Murphy Bunting 23 C Michigan
K Bradley Pinion 26
P Ryan Succup 34
KR/PR Jaydon Mickens 26
We just saw Tom Brady's last Patriots team fall to a 1950s Browns squad - here's Brady's first Bucs team, the 3rd seed in the region, the 2020 Super Bowl Champs. The '02 Bucs are the only Tampa team currently moving forward - this group was 3rd in offense in 2020. Brady's 43, 43 scores and 12 picks. 27 year old Mike Evans had over a thousand yards receiving. On the other side of the ball, 31 year old Jason Pierre Paul, 22 year old Devin White, 28 year old Shaq Barrett combined for 25.5 sacks.
14. 1953 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Pythag: 9-3
Off: 3rd
Def: 3rd
Did not make playoffs
HC: Jim Trimble
Offense
QB Bobby Thomason 25 VMI
RB Don Johnson 22 Cal
RB Toy Ledbetter 26 Okla St
RB Frank Ziegler 30 Geo Tech
WR Bobby Walston 25 UGA
WR Pete Pihos All Pro 30 Indiana
LT Frank Wydo 29 Cornell
LG Maury Nipp 23 Loyola
C Ken Farragut 25 Ole Miss
RG John Magee 30 Louisiana
RT Lum Snyder 23 Geo Tech
Defense
LDE Tom Scott R 23 UVA
LDT Vic Sears 35 Ore St
MG Bucko Kilroy 32 Temple
RDT Mike Jarmoluk 31 Temple
RDE Norm Willey 26 Marshall
LLB Wayne Robinson 23 Alabama
RLB Chuck Bednarik 28 All Pro Penn
LDH Russ Craft 34 Alabama
RDH Tom Brookshier R 22 Colorado
LS Bob Hudson 23 Clemson
RS Bob Stringer 24 Tulsa
K Bobby Walston 25 UGA
P Adrian Burk 26 Baylor
KR Jerry Williams 30 Wash St
PR Al Pollard 25 Army
2 Eagles teams have advanced; this '53 team was 3rd in both offense and defense but didn't make the postseason - and as the 14th seed in the region, headed to Tampa to play the Super Bowl Champs, it would be a heavy upset if they added a third here. 25 year old Bobby Thomason had 22 scores and 20 picks. 30 year old Pete Pihos had 10 TD receptions for over a thousand yards in a 12 game season. 28 year old All Pro Chuck Bednarik leads the defense, he and 22 year old rookie Tom Brookshier combined for 14 picks. The bottom half of Region 11 begins now - let's go to Tampa for the kick.
1st Qtr
Bucs at the 19.
1/10 Incomplete
2/10 - Ronald Jones for 1.
3/9 - Tom Brady - Scottie Miller, 18 yards and the first. Holding on the next play drops them back 10.
1/20 - Brady - Downfield -- Mike Evans -- it's a 28 yard shot, Bucs at the Eagle 44.
1/10 - Brady - Evans - 18 yard pickup and the Eagles are at the 26.
1/10 - Jones for 4.
2/6 - Brady dump off to Gronk for 1.
3/5 - Brady to Jones, Jones makes a man miss and is all the way at the 10.
1/goal - Give to Leonard Fournette, he gets 3.
2/goal - 5 more for Fournette and it's third and goal at the 2.
3/goal - Incomplete.
4th and goal at the 2. In 2020, it's not a question - Bruce Arians is gonna go for it.
4/goal - Brady -- the old man looking -- looking -- looking --- Endzone -- Fournette --- TOUCHDOWN BUCS - On 4th and goal at the 2, Tom Brady to Leonard Fournette - Tampa goes 81 yards on the opening drive of the game.
Eagles at the 13.
Could be a long game - 3 plays lose 9 yards, Ndamukong Suh gets the sack - Eagles punt deep in their own end -- Bucs take over at the Philly 40.
3 and out -- Eagles needed a quick stop and got one - they get it back at the 15.
1/10 - Bobby Thomason to Toy Ledbetter, 13 yards.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Thomason to Pete Pihos, 7 yards.
3/3 - Thomason to Bobby Walston - if you expected the Eagles to run the ball, try to keep it away from Brady, they come out throwing - 12 yards to their own 47.
The drive ends here - Bucs get it back at their own 8, Brady to Chris Godwin for 9 yards as the qtr ends.
2nd qtr: Bucs 7 Eagles 0
Long Brady drive for the score; they've got a 2nd and 1 at their own 17.
2/1 - Incomplete
3/1 - Brady to Godwin, 7 yards.
1/10 - Fournette 6 yards.
2/4 - Incomplete, another 3rd down.
3/4 - Brady - Miller, 8 yards and he picks it up.
1/10 - Fournette for 3.
2/7 - Jones gets a yard, and it's another 3rd down.
3/6 - Jones picks it up - Bucs at their own 48.
But that's it - after the punt, Eagles at their own 28.
1/10 - Frank Ziegler gets 6.
2/4 - Thomason -- He's Dialing Up the Home Run -- Pihos -- That's a 52 yard strike! Pihos with the 52 yard reception and the Eagles are at the Buc 14!
That's it - after the FG it's 7-3.
Bucs at the 35.
1/10 - Jones for 1
2/9 - Fournette is stacked up.
3/9 - Brady - Evans, that's a dozen yards and the first down.
1/10 - Brady, 10 yrds to Godwin
1/10 - Ronald Jones goes for 14, Bucs at the Eagle 28.
The drive ends - the FG makes it 10-3, little more than 2 minutes left.
Eagles starting at the 36.
1/10 - Ziegler goes for 13.
1/10 - 3 more for Ziegler and it's the 2 min warning.
1/10 - Ledbetter gets 11, the Eagles are at the 37.
1/10 - Thomason to Ledbetter, that's 13 yards, it's a timeout, 1:34 left in the half, Eagles already at the 24.
1/10 - Thomason to Pihos - 12 more yards and another timeout, Eagles at the 12.
But thats it - the Eagles drive dies at the 5 - and with less than a minute left, Philly tries the chip shot FG.....but they miss it......Bucs will get the ball at their own 20 - one play, a Chuck Bednarik sack -- that's plenty for Arians, content to go to the locker room with the lead.
3rd Qtr: Bucs 10 Eagles 3
Tampa took the first drive down the field and scored, that's held up. Eagles get the great return to open the half - at their own 43.
3 and out -- Bucs will start at the 20.
1/10 - Fournette for 3
2/7 - Incomplete
3/7 - It's Antonio Brown's first catch -- 20 yards and the Bucs are out to their own 43.
1/10 - Jones for 1
2/8 - Fournette for 2
3/7 - Brady - over the middle for Gro ---- Picked Off by Tom Brookshier! Brookshier intercepts Brady - the Eagles get the ball at their own 42! Big turnover!
3 and out. Eagles punt, Bucs at their own 17.
1/10 - Jones for 12.
1/10 - Jones for 14 - two big Ronald Jones runs and the Bucs are at the 43.
1/10 - Fournette for 1
2/9 - Brady to Brown -- 14 yards and Tampa crosses midfield.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Brady to Godwin - 10 yards - Bucs now at the 32.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Brady to Miller - 10 more -- Bucs at the 22.
But...that's it -- Succup hits the FG and now with less than 4 to play in the third it is 13-3 Tampa.
Eagles at the 33. Adrian Burk replaces Thomason.
1/10- Don Johnson breaks one -- 31 yards -- Eagles to the Tampa 36 yard line!
1/10 - Burk scrambles for a yard.
2/9 - Johnson buried by Vita Vea - loses 4. Third and long.
3/13 - Burk --- Burk to Walston -- 23 yards -- Eagles at the 16!
1/10 - Johnson gets 7 yards.
2/3 - Ledbetter loses 1 - that's the end of the qtr.
4th Qtr: Bucs 13 Eagles 3
Adrian Burk has come on for Philly, they've got a 3rd and 4 at the Tampa 10, trailing by 10.
They don't pick it up and when Bobby Walston.....Misses...another chip shot -- Tampa takes over at their own 20, still up 10.
3 and out. Bucs good gield position at the Eagle 43.
1/10 - Ziegler gets 4.
2/6 - Burk - Burk finds Johnson in open space -- Johnson's got a step -- Johnson's gonna go 40 yards down to the 13 yard line! Big, big, big play for Burk!
1/10 - Burk...Burk scrambling -- Burk across the line -- Burk breaks a tackle -- Burk's gonna go! Burk's gonna go....Into the End Zone --- TOUCHDOWN EAGLES - Adrian Burk, on for Bobby Thomason, has scores on a 13 yard TD run and the Eagles have cut it to 13-10, 12 minutes left in the game.
Eagles at the 38. Still up 3.
3 and out. That's a big stop and the Eagles will take over at their own 25, 10 minutes left.
3 and out. JPP just rips Burk to the turf - the ball is incomplete, but Burk needs to be helped from the field. Bucs get it back at their own 42, little more than 8 left, up by 3.
1/10 - Fournette gets 1.
2/9 - Brady to Evans for 11
1/10 - Fournette loses 1 and a false start takes Tampa back 5 more.
2/16 - Brady to Godwin for 8.
3/8 - Brady -- Brown -- 12 yards - Tampa is at the Eagles 32.
1/10 - Brady - Brown - Tampa with the lead but still throwing the ball - 8 to the 24.
That's all -- With less than 3 to play, Succup FG makes it 16-10.
The Eagles start at their own 20 after the touchback -- Thomason comes back out - Burk replaced him, scores the TD -- but he got knocked out on the last drive and Thomason returns, down 6, 2:42 left in the game. Thomason needs to go 80 yards to somehow pull this huge upset.
1/10 - Ziegler loses 1
2/11 - Johnson gets 2
3/9 - Thomason -- he's going downfield -- Pihos -- that's a 29 yard pickup! Pihos is at midfield - it's the 2 minute warning.
1/10 - Thomason --- downfield -- Pihos! 22 yards! Eagles now at the 28, they use their first timeout.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Devin White is in the backfield - he buries Thomason -- huge loss, Eagles stop the clock at 1:40, it is 3rd down and 19 at the Bucs 37.
3/19 - Incomplete
This is it. 4th and 19. Eagles do or die in this spot.
4/19 - Thomason --- looking for Pihos -- over the middle -- Incomplete and that's....
....there's a flag.
It is Pass Interference on Antoine Winfield- the Bucs cannot believe it -- the Bucs crowd, the Bucs sideline -- in full fury -- there are objects being thrown on the field -- just a wild fury out of the Bucs sideline - they have to pull it together as the Eagles have a first down at the 19.
1/10 - Shaq Barrett sacks Thomason - the 4th Bucs sack - Eagles have to use their final timeout, it's 2nd and 16 from the 25, There's 65 seconds left.
2/16 - Thomason -- running for his life -- Thomason runs out of bounds after a 4 yard gain, now 56 seconds left, Eagles at the 21.
3/16 - Thomason...Thomason in trouble, Thomason in trouble -- Thomason looking End Zone --- DON JOHNSON! DON JOHNSON! TOUCHDOWN EAGLES - TOUCHDOWN EAGLES - Bobby Thomason finds Don Johnson for the 21 yard score!! And after the XP....The Eagles have their first lead of the game at 17-16! Wow! Wow! Wow!
Bucs will start at their own 32. 39 seconds left - Bucs have all 3 timeouts -- Brady needs a FG to keep the Bucs alive in the tournament.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Incomplete
3/10 - Incomplete
4th and 10 at the 32. Here we go.
4/10 - Brady -- looking for Gronk.......
Incomplete. And it's done. Kneeldowns for Thomason and it is over.
Final: Eagles 17 Bucs 16
Tampa led the first 59 minutes, but a controversial pass interference call and then a 3rd and long near miracle gives the 14th seeded Eagles the huge upset win.
Thomason: 10 for 26, 199 yds 1 TD
Brady: 23 for 40, 248 yds 1 TD/ INT
Ziegler: 10 for 36
Jones: 19 for 59
Pihos: 6 catches, 133 yds
Evans: 5 catches, 75 yards
Bednarik: 2 sacks
Player of the Game: Pete Pihos
