Getty Tom Brady wished his family and children a Merry Christmas after the game but notably left out Gisele Bundchen.
Tom Brady just can’t win even after he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-16 overtime win on Christmas Night.
In a postgame interview with NBC, Brady wished a Merry Christmas to his parents, his sisters, and his children. The Bucs quarterback notably left out Gisele Bundchen, the mother of two of his children, two months after the couple’s divorce in October.
“[I want to] say hi to my parents, my sisters, [and] my kids. I love you all. I hope you had a good time. Merry Christmas to everyone. See you soon,” Brady told NBC’s Meliss Stark.
While Brady asked for privacy and respect amid the announcement in October, the entertainment media has covered if with the frequency of Brady’s 2023 playing status on the sports side of things. Brady not mentioning Bundchen could draw a lot of media attention, but if he had mentioned Bundchen, it could likewise garner lots of media attention.
Either way, Brady walked off the field a winner in his first-ever Christmas Day game in his NFL career while his younger children, Jack and Vivian, spent time with Bundchen in Brazil. Brady will see his children on Monday, December 26, which completes what he set out to do to start the Christmas season.
“I’m going to have to learn how to deal with Christmas and Christmas night and still go out there and be a professional and then look forward to celebrating Christmas with my kids the day after, which is part of what football season has been for a long time,” Brady said before the game on the “Let’s Go!” podcast.
Brady Address Two Picks to Marco Wilson
While Brady led the Bucs back from 16-6 down in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals, his two interceptions to cornerback Marco Wilson helped put the Bucs in that pickle. Tampa Bay stopped the Cardinals after the first pick but gave up Arizona’s go-ahead field goal following the second pick.
Marco Wilson with the INTERCEPTION on Tom Brady near the goal line! #BirdCityFootball
“He made good catches. They played cover two. We had a go route, and I threw the ball pretty early,” Brady told the media regarding the picks.
Both the picks happened on passes intended for star wide receiver Mike Evans. The four-time Pro Bowler mustered three catches for 29 yards, and he went his 11th-consecutive game without a touchdown reception. Evans leads the Bucs in receiving yards with 888, and he’s second on the team for catches with 64.
Brady: ‘We Know We’ve Got a Shot’
Tampa Bay needed a Brady-led fourth quarter comeback for the third time in the team’s last four wins. Brady said that doesn’t bother this squad.
“Yeah, you know, if we keep it close in the fourth quarter, we know we’ve got a shot,” Brady said. “Just too many plays to not get ahead, and I know we played a lot better in the fourth quarter. We executed pretty well.”
Bucs running back Leonard Fournette made plays out of the backfield to set up the team’s first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. It trimmed the Cardinals lead to 16-13, and the Bucs defense took advantage of a botched toss on the next drive for a fumble recovery. Brady led the Bucs nine plays and 31 yards for a field goal, and the unit repeated the effort in overtime on a 9-play, 66-yard drive for the game-winning field goal.
“Down 10 in the fourth quarter on the road, a great way to find a way to win,” Brady said.