TAMPA, Fla. — The final score on Sunday — Tampa Bay 31, Philadelphia 15 — could not have surprised many people.
The second-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered their N.F.C. wild-card matchup against the seventh-seeded Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium as winners of seven of their last eight games and with the most experienced player in the postseason in their huddle.
That player, the 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, led them to a Super Bowl win last year and this season had one of the best years in his 22-year N.F.L. career, throwing for more than 5,000 yards for only the second time.