Mike Edwards steals the show from Brady and Gronkowski in Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win over the Falcons
Considering how much talent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster has, it was a surprise that they had to turn to backup free safety Mike Edwards to save the day. The Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 48-25. It was, however, the heroics of Edwards and his two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter that sealed the win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons certainly brought their "A" game to Raymond James Stadium to take on the Buccaneers on Sunday. After falling down 14-0 courtesy of two touchdown passes from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski, the Falcons got on the scoreboard with a 10-yard run by Cordarrelle Patterson.
By the third quarter, Tampa had opened up a 28-10 lead and was looking to cruise to a victory, but by the start of the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers found themselves only up by a score of 28-25.
What came next could be labelled a surprise along with the player that came through when it counted and introduced himself to the world.
Mike Edwards: Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-string free safety
In the fourth quarter of Sunday's Falcons-Buccaneers game, Tampa found themselves in an unexpected fight, holding on to a 28-25 lead. Tom Brady had 5 touchdowns, so his part was done. It was up to someone on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl-winning defense to step up and stop Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons from scoring.
That someone would be backup-free, safety Mike Edwards. Drafted from the University of Kentucky in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Edwards has been part of a rebuilding project for the Buccaneers over the last four to five seasons. Many of those picks have been on the defensive side of the ball and those choices have paid dividends.
Having depth is not overrated
Matt Ryan and the Falcons were on the brink of trying to mount a small comeback to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Mike Edwards was able to come up with not one but two pick-sixes to seal the game late for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Got the W https://t.co/yjBYiuCKZ4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians had the perfect way to sum up Mike Edwards' play on the field Sunday.
#Bucs HC Bruce Arians says that Mike Edwards is a hell of a player.
During a post-game report, Arians said that Edwards was a "hell of a football player that played a lot of positions and did a great job in that fourth quarter."
Among the many Tampa Bay Buccaneers stars, it's safe to say that Mike Edwards swooped in to grab not only two interceptions but the game as well.