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Tom Brady: »Look Day By Day«
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Douglas R. Clifford / imago images/ZUMA Wire
For football star Tom Brady and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the dream of successfully defending the title in the US professional league NFL has burst in a dramatic way.
Despite catching up, the Florida team lost 27:30 to the Los Angels Rams in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
It could have been Brady's last game.
He wants to take "a month or more" to decide whether he will play in 2022, ESPN reported even before the Buccaneers' loss.
After the end, Brady said he "only thinks about this game and nothing five minutes away from it." As for his future, he looks "from day to day," said the 44-year-old.
But statements from the recent past and the prospects for the Buccaneers squad move a farewell to the realm of possibility despite a contract that runs for another year.
"My children are not getting any younger"
It is unclear whether the team will have enough of their strong players in the coming season to be among the title contenders again.
In addition, Brady indicated in December that he wants to make more time for the family: "My children are not getting any younger and I want to make sure they are getting what they need."
Brady, a seven-time champion, holds NFL legend status.
He showed against the Rams that he should still be a world-class quarterback at the age of 45.
In the third quarter, his team was 3:27 behind, then Brady turned it up and the Bucs actually equalized with 42 seconds left.
The comeback was reminiscent of the Super Bowl five years ago, when the Brady-led New England Patriots closed a 25-point deficit to take the title.
This time, however, the game took a different turn: It was the Rams who put the finishing touches and secured victory with a converted field goal as the clock was running out.
The Rams continue to dream of the Super Bowl in their own stadium.
They now have to win against the San Francisco 49ers in the conference final.
42:36 - Chiefs win breathless duel against the Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills fought a memorable duel - with a better ending for the Chiefs, who are just one win away from their third straight Super Bowl appearance. In a dramatic duel, they won 42-36 after overtime and will play next Sunday's AFC Conference Final against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Bills' Josh Allen put on near-perfect performances.
Both of you played a big part in the incredible final phase with 25 points in total, three changes in the lead and the equalizer in the last two minutes of regulation time.
Only Mahomes' pass to Travis Kelce in extra time decided the game.
With 13 seconds left in regulation, the Chiefs were three points down and 75 yards from the end zone.
"It was a crazy game," Mahomes told CBS.
Four touchdowns – Davis sets playoff record
Allen had four touchdown passes and 329 yards after passes and 68 yards when he ran with the ball himself.
Mahomes had three touchdown passes and 378 yards from throws, plus one rushed touchdown and 69 yards on the ground.
Gabriel Davis had four touchdowns for the Bills, setting an NFL playoff record.
Neither team lost the ball - the level of the game was enormous.
After winning in February 2020 and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year ago, the Chiefs are now only missing one win against the Bengals around quarterback Joe Burrow for entry into the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on February 13.
Should the Chiefs and 49ers play for the championship, it would be a repeat of the Super Bowl from two years ago, which Kansas City won in Miami.
mon/dpa/sid/Reuters
