The NFL held its first ever regular season game in the city of Munich, Germany on Sunday. The matchup featured the red hot Seattle Seahwaks facing off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were coming off a last second victory over the Los Angeles Rams and were looking to keep the momentum going against Seattle.
Rookie Rachaad White and Chris Godwin Shine in Victory
Tampa Bay’s rookie out of Arizona State, Rachaad White, has been relatively consistent all season. This seemed to be the breakout game he needed, though. White rushed for 105 yards and helped move the Buccaneers down the field when fellow back Leonard Fournette left the game due to a hip injury. Fournette had 57 yards and a touchdown.
Head coach Todd Bowles on his running backs’ performances: “I thought Rachaad and Leonard go off to a good start. When Leonard got hurt, Rachaad got his carries… he’s a slithery guy who comes to play everyday.”
White finished with 22 carries. This shows the faith Bowles and Leftwich have in the rookie to perform well as the season goes on.
The passing attack looked great for the Bucs as well. Tom Brady had 258 yards and two touchdowns (Julio Jones and Chris Godwin). Brady did throw an interception to Seahawks’ linebacker Cody Barton. Oh, also, Brady contributed to another interception by falling down on a route, leading to a Leonard Fournette interception (yes, Brady was the receiver and Fournette was the quarterback in what was a terribly designed play).
Godwin finished with 71 yards on six receptions as he seemed to be an easy access target for Brady. Jones also played well with 53 yards in what was his best game of the season. Mike Evans finished with a solid 54 yards on the day as well.
Simply put, when healthy, Tampa Bay’s offensive weapons can produce like none other.
Defense Stops Seattle Run Game Soundly
The Seahawks had just 39 rushing yards on the day thanks to Tampa Bay’s elite front seven. The leading rusher for the Hawks was quarterback Geno Smith who finished with 22 of those 39. Meanwhile, front-running offensive rookie of the year candidate Kenneth Walker had a disappointing 17 yards on 10 carries. The 1.7-yard average on the run helped the Bucs win the game.
Jamel Dean and Lavonte David were active with six tackles each. Antoine Winfield Jr., who did not play against Los Angeles, also had a great game with five tackles.
Devin White had a huge game with nine tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble on Geo Smith in the third quarter to keep the Bucs with a double digit advantage.
White on the fumble play: “You know I told Antoine [Winfield Jr.] I was going to be the first one to get us back on the takeaway train… when I saw him scrambling around I knew we just had to make a play. So I punched the ball with my left hand and I was just celebrating.”
White’s father, Carlos Thomas, passed away mere hours before the Buccaneers’ flight to Germany. This left White with a lot to play for and he poured it all out onto the field in Allianz Arena with possibly his best game of the season.
Seahawks Comeback Falls Short
The Seahawks found themselves down 21-3 in the fourth quarter and drove down the field multiple times with scores. This included a brilliant pass from Smith under pressure to wideout Marquise Goodwin. White actually brought the pressure on the fourth down and one play but Goodwin made a miraculous diving catch in the end zone on Sean Murphy-Bunting to make it a one score game at 21-16.
Brady and the offense got the ball back with a little over three minutes to play to try to seal the win. Rachaad White busted out a few big runs before and after the two minute warning to the Munich crowd singing “Country Roads,” by John Denver to win the game.
Up Next
The Buccaneers still stand at the top of the NFC South with a record of 5-5. Next week, they will have a much-earned bye week before traveling to Cleveland on November 27th to take on the Browns in Week 12.