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Tom Brady led a fourth-quarter comeback for a record 44th time in his career as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied to a 17-16 win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Buccaneers trailed 16-3 with three minutes left, before Brady found Cade Otton with a one-yard touchdown pass.

With just three seconds on the clock, Brady, 45, picked out Rachaad White for another score before Ryan Succop added the decisive extra point.

Brady had been tied with Peyton Manning on fourth-quarter comebacks in the NFL.

"It's awesome by our team," quarterback Brady said. "It's a great effort by the defence to hang in there all day.

"I missed some throws early, but I'm really proud of our team for hanging in there against a team we've always struggled with."

Seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady, who announced his retirement in February only to change his mind 40 days later, finished with 36 completed passes from 54 attempted for 281 yards in Tampa.

Saints counterpart Andy Dalton completed 20 passes for 229 yards with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Taysom Hill. But the Saints were frustrated in the red zone, settling for three Wil Lutz field goals.

The Buccaneers are top of NFC South with a record of six wins and six losses, while the Saints are bottom of the division on 4-9.