There was an odd scene at the end of the Bears’ 20-19 victory over the Buccaneers on Thursday night. The Bears’ sideline erupted in celebration and sent the offense onto the field after stopping the Buccaneers on fourth-and-6 with 38 seconds left, but Bucs quarterback Tom Brady looked confused and held up four fingers as though he was expecting the next play to be fourth down.
He admitted later he was preoccupied by how far the Bucs needed to get in order to try a field goal and lost track of the downs.
“I knew we needed a chunk and I was thinking about more yardage and then, you know, it was just bad execution,” he said.
On a follow-up question, he added, “You’re up against the clock and... I knew we had to gain a chunk, so I should have been thinking more first down instead of chunk in that situation.”
Brady’s fourth-down pass was broken up by safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, leaving the Bucs stopped at their own 41-yard line. Bears quarterback Nick Foles came out and kneeled twice to end the game.
It was a brutal game for Brady, who lost to the Bears for the first time in his career. With Khalil Mack in the backfield all night, he finished 25 of 41 for 253 yards and an 86.7 passer rating.
“Anytime you can frustrate Tom Brady, it’s a great day,” Foles said.
