Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski duo inspire Tampa to beat the Falcons

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are legends. The quarterback threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns -two of them to longtime favorite target Gronkowski- and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to the brink of clinching the NFC South title with a 30-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Bucs (9-3) won their third straight game and pushed their division lead to four games over Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans (all 5-7) with five games remaining.

Brady improved to 10-0 in his career against the Falcons, including four straight wins over the last two seasons since moving from New England to Tampa Bay.

The 44-year-old Brady completed 38 of 51, including touchdowns of 27 and 11 yards to Gronkowski - their first scoring passes since Week 2 against the Falcons.

The prolific duo has combined for 90 regular-season TDs, passing Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates for No. 2 in NFL history. Only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison have more, hooking up for 112 scoring passes.

Brady completed 11 passes on the drive, including a 6-yard throw to Leonard Fournette on fourth-and-4 at the Atlanta 38. The two hooked up again for a 3-yard touchdown play, with Fournette making a slick, one-handed grab.

The Falcons answered with a touchdown drive of their own, doing most of their damage on the ground.

Brady's 27-yard TD to Gronkowski had the Bucs on the verge of a blowout.

Up next

Buccaneers: Return home next Sunday to face AFC powerhouse Buffalo.

Falcons: Travel to Charlotte next Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers in another NFC South game.

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