The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped a three-game losing slump as they relied on Tom Brady magic to beat the Los Angeles Rams, 16-13, at home in Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season. At 4-5, the Buccaneers retake first place in the NFC South. Here we will look at Tom Brady and three other Tampa Bay Buccaneers heroes most responsible for their Week 9 win vs. the Rams.

The Buccaneers and Rams clashed in a replay of the divisional round playoff game that propelled Los Angeles to the NFC championship game in 2021. Both teams have tumbled and fumbled since then, with Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford both desperate for a win in Week 9. They both struggled in this one, exchanging poor drives left and right. That is, until the GOAT orchestrated a last-second rally to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was vintage Brady. It also knocked the reigning champs two games below .500.

Let us look at Tom Brady and three other Tampa Bay Buccaneers heroes most responsible for their Week 9 win vs. the Rams.

4. WR Chris Godwin

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin has made an immediate impact on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' record books. He just passed Mark Carrier for second place on the Bucs' all-time receiving yards chart with a nine-yard reception in the first half of Sunday's game against the Rams.

It's a great achievement for a guy in his sixth NFL season, but Godwin is still only halfway to the top spot. That is held by current teammate and star receiver Mike Evans.

Godwin grabbed seven of ten targets for a total of 36 yards against the Rams. Yes, the sixth-year wideout has not exactly put up eye-popping numbers, but he's still among Brady's more reliable targets.

3. DT Vita Vea

The Rams' offensive line has taken a beating much more than Tampa's, so getting continuous pressure on Matthew Stafford was critical. DT Vita Vea took full advantage of that depleted Los Angeles o-line to play his finest game of the season. He exerted relentless pressure in the middle to hinder the run game while also recording two sacks on Stafford.

This is very welcome news for Bucs fans as Vea continues to improve his form after a shaky start to the year. Vea anchored a defense that did just enough to get the W. Lavonte David also had a solid showing with three tackles and two passes blocked. Meanwhile, Devin White also notched a good game of his own, tallying four tackles and two QB pressures.

2. TE Cade Otton

Yes, Brady carried the squad to victory, as he has done so many times before. He also set another milestone by becoming the first player to amass 100,000 career throwing yards and breaking the comeback win record. That being said, we have to give additional credit to a young gun who stepped up big time under the bright lights, especially during the last drive.

The Bucs' magical endgame drive began as Brady connected with TE Cade Otton down the center of the field, which gave Tampa Bay a fighting chance. Otton then slipped out at the 1 to make the game-winning catch, which also happened to be his first career touchdown.

He had many additional solid catches earlier in the game, including one that was called back due to a penalty. Otton finished with five receptions for 68 yards and the touchdown. He's really starting to click lately and has all the makings of a very promising tight end moving forward.

Here's to hoping this won't be the last we'll see of magic brewing between Otton and Brady.

1. QB Tom Brady

And of course, speaking of Brady, he took over on his own 40-yard line with 44 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. He moved his team down the field with multiple clutch grabs from wide receiver Scotty Miller and the aforementioned Otton. The GOAT then sealed the victory with that one-yard TD to Otton with nine seconds remaining.

This was the first time Brade beat the Rams as a Buccaneer. It also avenged a divisional round defeat last year.

Brady finished the day with 280 yards via the air. He completed 36 of his 58 passes and extended his unbroken record of 373 pass attempts without an interception. He did finish with a pedestrian 79.7 passer rating, which was his second-lowest of the season so far. Still, people will forget that and remember the win.

The game-winning drive was also Brady's 55th. That broke a tie with Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history. How crazy is that, right? Not crazy enough, I guess, since we're talking about Tom Brady after all.