21:16 against the Seahawks
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Buccaneers win NFL premiere in Germany
Munich The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the first NFL game in Germany. Tom Brady & Co. won 21:16 against the Seattle Seahawks in Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Four hours before the start of the game, Munich’s subway line 6 was overcrowded. Sometimes people had to be left behind on the platforms because they just couldn’t fit in anymore. Countless football fans flocked towards Fröttmaning and the Allianz Arena.
There was a lot going on around the stadium: In addition to numerous food stands, the fans, such asor already at the Odeonsplatz, take photos with the helmets of all 32 teams (and an FC Bayern edition) or try playing football a little bit by throwing the football at certain targets or being able to kick a field goal.
At around 1 p.m. the gates of the stadium opened and a good two hours later almost everyone was in their seats to watch rapper Cro, who presented a medley of his best hits, at his show. After the national anthems, which were performed by Sergeant Melody Slater (USA) and the singer Sophia (Germany) and the coin toss by the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), the game finally began punctually at 3:30 p.m.
There the fans didn’t get a lot of exciting things in the first quarter, at the end of which it was still 0:0. After that, however, the Buccaneers around superstar quarterback Tom Brady were able to score for the first time: Brady threw a touchdown pass to Julio Jones, who was able to run almost unhindered into the end zone from 31 yards. The “hosts” followed suit a little later when Leonard Fournette ran from one yard into the end zone with the ball in his hand. It should remain the only points of the first half, with 14:0 it went into the break.
Seattle’s offensive performance has been very disappointing so far, but apparently the right words were found in the dressing room. Right after the start of the second half, the Seahawks were gaining almost as many yards on possession as they had in two quarters. In the end, Jason Myers converted a field goal from 55 yards to 3:14. Right after that, Tampa Bay started to score and move away again, but a trick game was played just before the Seahawks end zoneg completely crooked. Running back Fournette threw a pass to Brady instead of Brady. However, the 45-year-old slipped and Tariq Woolen took the opportunity to intercept the ball.
But the joy was short-lived: Geno Smith and his men then advanced deep into the opposing half, but the quarterback dropped the ball there and the Buccaneers recaptured it. In turn, they marched down the field in their turn, and Brady took every pass himself. The last one was to Chris Godwin from three yards into the end zone – 21-3 early in the final quarter. But then Seattle’s attack finally went well and Smith was able to throw a touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett from 21 yards. The two-point conversion failed, but at least it was down to 9:21.
It was still not foreseeable that things would get really tight again, but the NFL is the NFL. Brady overlooked Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton in the following ball possession and he intercepted a pass. It was Seattle’s move again and they scored again because Marquise Goodwin made a great 19-yard pass from Smith. With almost four minutes on the clock, it was only 16:21.
After that, however, the Buccaneers made no more mistakes: Brady and his offensive gained enough space to let the clock run out and took the win in Munich.
Also a factor in the clock ticking down was the Buccaneers’ running game, which had not worked well so far this season. “It felt good to run the ball and throw them off balance a little bit,” Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said. He wasn’t entirely happy with the fact that his team made the game tight again. “We have to stay in the game for the entire duration,” he said. He also found words of praise for the German audience in the Allianz Arena, which was “electrifying”. Wide receiver Julio Jones was also impressed: “It was great. They’re just people who love the sport.”
Here is the photo gallery: The pictures of the NFL game in Munich
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