Brady, who was on the winning side in a divisional playoff meeting last season, threw four touchdowns against the Saints but could not finish the job, despite pulling his side back from heavy losses.
With five minutes and 44 seconds left, the 44-year-old threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Cyril Grayson that seemed to be on his way to the Buccaneers, but it was not to be.
With just one minute and 24 seconds on the clock, Saints safety PJ Williams intercepted Brady and ran 40 yards for a touchdown to help secure a thrilling win over the Super Bowl champion.
“It’s hard to win when you turn the ball. So I don’t want to throw interceptions. That’s the key,” Brady said of the defeat.
It wasn’t all good news for the Saints, however, after losing to starting quarterback Jameis Winston in the second quarter with a knee injury.
“It’s important,” coach Sean Payton said after the game. “He felt something. He’s on crutches right now.
“I do not want to say [how bad it is]Until I get a chance to talk to the doctors.”
The visitors, who also lacked Tysom Hill’s backup, had to rely on Trevor Simien, who had not thrown a pass since 2019 and had not thrown for a touchdown in 1,421 days.
However, the passenger tried hard enough to keep his side on the line.
“Most are from my mom,” Simien said, laughing at the number of texts he received after the game.
“It was fun. You play in preseason, but your reps are so limited.
“I think I’ve lost a little bit of the sense of how much fun it is when you’re in a huddle and in the middle of a drive and you score.
“There’s a joy to this sport that you can’t chase after anything else.”
The Saints next play on November 7 as they host the Atlanta Falcons at the Superdome, while the Bucs will have a week off before they return against the Washington football team on November 14.
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