Appreciate Tom Brady's Late-Game Magic Now Because It'll Be Gone Soon

Tom Brady's career is the NFL equivalent of the often-used Undertaker GIF. Just when everyone thinks its OK to finally bury the veteran, he rises to the occasion. Eventually, even Mark Calaway was forced to retire the gimmick after a long and fruitful run. Before then, he provided memorable moment after memorable moment.

Remarkably, Brady did something he never previously accomplished after it looked like the New Orleans Saints had his number once again. Ultimately, the Buccaneers captured a 17-16 victory. In doing so, the 45-year-old future Hall of Famer threw the last score with only eight seconds remaining at the snap—which is the latest game-winning touchdown pass in Brady's historic career, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

"Just like we drew it up," Brady joked with reporters after the contest.

After the comeback, the Bucs now own a 6-6 record and a 1.5-game lead in the struggling NFC South. Brady helping to pull another win from the jaws of victory serves as a double-edged sword.

Simple appreciation of what he's done throughout his career must be savored now, because his career will be over relatively soon. Conversely, the win seems to set up for eventual disappointment down the road.

On the positive side, Brady's teams have benefited with him behind center. Sunday's result turned into the 44th comeback victory with the three-time league MVP leading the way, which broke the tie between Brady and his old rival, Peyton Manning. The performance also became the second instance of a Brady-led squad winning after trailing by 13 or more points in the fourth quarter. The other? Super Bowl LI (Sorry, Atlanta Falcons fans).

The outcome and how it came about shouldn't blur who the Buccaneers are as a team, though. Brady's potential last dance is fraught with obstacles.

Before looking toward the long term, Tampa Bay must handle business in the coming weeks. The schedule is manageable with an upcoming meetings with the San Francisco 49ers—when this year's Mr. Irrelevant, quarterback Brock Purdy, will make his first career start—and teams with losing records to round out the final three weeks of play.

Aside from the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, four of the five remaining contests appear to be winnable. The Buccaneers could realistically win 10 on their way to a second consecutive division title.

History shows they're capable of doing so after a slow start to the '20 season, which eventually resulted in Brady and Co. hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. A significant difference exists between then and now. At that time, Brady had just signed with the organization and needed time to build a rapport with his receivers and rhythm within the offense.

Currently, Tampa Bay is clearly deficient in certain areas.

The offensive line is almost completely rebuilt from a year ago. Tristan Wirfs' ankle injury last week only exacerbated an already glaring issue. The losses of left guard Ali Marpet (retirement), right guard Alex Cappa (free agency) and center Ryan Jensen (season-ending injury) created a lack of continuity up front front. Even bringing in the likes of a Shaq Mason can only do so much when the unit, as its currently constructed, is playing together for the first time and continues to evolve.

A byproduct of rebuilding an offensive line on the fly is a significant downturn in the running game. At 73.2 rushing yards per contest, Tampa Bay owns the league's worst ground game by a significant margin (11.5 yards to be exact).

Furthermore, Brady is having one of the worst years of his career when it comes to pushing the ball down the field. The Buccaneers benefited from one of the league's best wide receiver corps over the last two seasons, especially with Mike Evans on the outside, since he's an elite vertical threat.

Yet the quarterback's 31 completion percentage on throws 20 or more yards down the field entering Sunday's contest was Brady's worst since the '14 campaign. Brady missed multiple deep attempts against the Saints and didn't help to stretch the field. Only one connection to Evans ended up being over 20 yards.

Instead, defenses are now constricting the playing area. They don't have to worry much about Tampa Bay's running attack or the threat of the big play. Brady also can't lean on the tight end position as much after his favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, retired.

Even so, Tampa Bay found a win to win...with a little help from New Orleans.

"I wish we would score more points against them," Brady said. "They make it really hard."

In the Saints' case, Dennis Allen's squad had the game in hand, if not for poor late game mismanagement and mental mistakes. New Orleans had opportunities to close out the contest on two different occasions. All it had to do was piece together a sustained drive.

With 6:11 remaining and a 13-point lead, Mark Ingram inexplicably ran out of bounds short of a first down without being touched. On 3rd-and-1 from Tampa Bay's 44-yard line, the Saints threw an incomplete pass instead of just running the ball. The Buccaneers responded with a 91-yard drive for their first fourth-quarter touchdown.

During the following series, New Orleans went three-and-out with a pair of pass calls, including a sack on second down.

The Saints lost this meeting as much as the Buccaneers earned the victory. The setup is important, because it shows how fortunate Tampa Bay really is to reach the .500 plateau. Todd Bowles' group isn't playing particularly well, and a late-game rally doesn't portend any type of significant postseason run.

As for Brady and where he goes from that point, much will be decided next offseason. The 23-year veteran isn't under contract beyond this season. Previously, the quarterback stated he would like to play until at least 2024. Although, his highly publicized divorce from Gisele Bundchen could change plans.

If the NFL's all-time leading passer chooses not to return after this season, the type of moments seen Sunday may never happen again. Brady will walk away as the greatest player of all time. He's earned that designation. But he's no different than any other professional athlete who preceded him. Eventually, Father Time will win.

A void will be left without the seven-time Super Bowl champion on an NFL field. But it's far from time to let his career rest in peace. Brady appears to have one more age-defying run in him, and everyone should enjoy it for as long as it lasts.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.