The Buccaneers signed quarterback Tom Brady this offseason for moments like this: to go head-to-head with a New Orleans Saints team that has had an unrelenting grip on the NFC South, to get Tampa Bay back to the postseason for the first time in 13 years, and to become the first team in NFL history to host a hometown Super Bowl.
The Bucs are one step away from completing that trilogy.
In the second stop of a playoff odyssey that began with a wild-card game on the road -- a first in Brady's 21-year career -- Tampa Bay defeated New Orleans 30-20 on Sunday night.