3 Takeaways from Buccaneers' Week 9 Win vs. Rams

With less than a minute to go in Sunday's game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were trailing. If they lost, it would have been their fourth consecutive defeat, and they would have fallen to 3-6 on the season, far from what most expected from them.

Tom Brady made sure that didn't happen.

The Bucs went 60 yards on six plays spanning 35 seconds, as Brady threw a game-winning touchdown pass to rookie tight end Cade Otton with 9 seconds to go to lift them to a 16-13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Raymond James Stadium. It was Tampa Bay's first win since it beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5.

Prior to its final possession, Tampa Bay's only points had come on a trio of Ryan Succop field goals. But that last drive salvaged the day for the Buccaneers, who improved to 4-5 with a much-needed victory.

Here are three takeaways from Tampa Bay's Week 9 win.

Early in the season, Brady was struggling and didn't look quite like himself while leading the Buccaneers' offense on the field. Meanwhile, off the field, the 45-year-old announced that he and his former wife, Gisele Bündchen, had finalized their divorce.

In case anybody forgot amid Brady's less-than-stellar play and the personal-life news, he's one of the best quarterbacks of all time for a reason. And he provided a reminder of that while leading Tampa Bay's game-winning drive in the final minute on Sunday.

“We always have a chance with [Brady], grateful to have him,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said, per Fred Goodall of the Associated Press. “... He still plays at a high level, love the guy to death.”

It was also a historic day for Brady, who became the first NFL player to amass more than 100,000 career passing yards. He also recorded his 55th game-winning drive, passing Peyton Manning (54) for the most by a quarterback in league history.

So even though Tampa Bay's offense hasn't performed quite as well this year, it always has a chance to win with Brady at the helm. And this may not be the last time that he guides the Buccaneers to a victory late.

For the fifth consecutive game, the Buccaneers' defense didn't force any turnovers. The unit is struggling to make big plays, which is why it has only nine takeaways this season (five of which came in a Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints).

Although Tampa Bay couldn't end that drought on Sunday, its defense performed well, providing optimism that even better performances may come ahead. The Bucs held the Rams to 206 total yards, and 69 of those came on one play (a second-quarter touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp).

Take away that one play from Kupp, the defending NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Los Angeles' only points came from a pair of Matt Gay field goals. The Rams went 4-for-15 on third downs, as the Buccaneers had an all-around dominant showing. They also recorded four sacks, including two from Vita Vea.

"Other than that one play, probably two plays, those guys played tough." Bowles said of the Bucs' defense, per Scott Smith of the team's official site. "Hats off to them, they did a heck of a job. We knew had to win the line of scrimmage and Vita was a big part of that."

If Tampa Bay can build off this showing, it could mean big things for this defense throughout the second half of the season, as the unit has showcased its potential. It just needs to create more big-impact plays.

Typically, a 4-5 team isn't in first place and is in control of its division. Yet, that's the exact position the Buccaneers are currently in, due to the NFC South having a down season.

The Atlanta Falcons are also 4-5, but Tampa Bay notched a 21-15 win over them in Week 5. The New Orleans Saints are 3-5 and could draw even with those two teams on Monday night, but they also lost to the Bucs earlier this year, falling 20-10 in Week 2. And meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have the most losses in the NFL at 2-7.

In Week 10, the Buccaneers face a challenging test, as they'll be heading to Munich, Germany, to face the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (6-3). Tampa Bay will then get a chance to reset during its bye in Week 11.

"We certainly haven't played perfect by any stretch," Brady said, per Smith. "But hopefully it gives us some confidence and we can win again next week and get to 5-5, which would be good for us at the bye week, and then kind of reevaluate everything."

So even though the Bucs haven't looked nearly as strong as they did last season (when they went 13-4), their quest for a second consecutive NFC South title is still in good shape.