Watch: Rams' Matt Gay kicks game-winning field goal in wild playoff victory over Buccaneers
The defending Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been eliminated from the 2022 NFL playoffs in the most dramatic way possible, as Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay drilled a 30-yard field goal as time expired Sunday in a 30-27 victory.
After a rough first half from quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the Bucs in the NFC divisional-round contest, the Rams seemed well on their way to a comfortable win. They held a 27-3 lead in the third quarter before fumbles on offense and mistakes on defense helped the hosts get back in the game.
A field goal from Ryan Succop and a rushing score from Leonard Fournette made it 27-13 heading into the fourth, but the Tampa Bay offense stalled for most of the fourth frame, keeping it a two-score game with just under three-and-a-half minutes to go. A Brady-to-Mike Evans 55-yard touchdown heave made it a one-possession game, and a fumble by Cam Akers on the ensuing Los Angeles drive gave the Buccaneers good field position and a chance to tie it with more than two minutes remaining.
Fournette cashed in on a nine-yard touchdown run on 4th-and -1 with under a minute left, and Succop's extra point tied it up. With just 42 seconds on the clock to start the drive, Matt Stafford connected with wide receiver Triple Crown winner Cooper Kupp on two big receptions, setting up Gay's heroics.
Kupp's 183 receiving yards on nine receptions were the most by a Rams player in a postseason game in the Super Bowl era, per StatMuse.
Tampa Bay now faces an offseason of uncertainty, as reports came out Sunday morning that Brady was "noncommittal" on returning for next season. The fourth-seeded Rams, meanwhile, will host the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 30.
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