National Football League

Tom Brady, Bucs fall short against rival Saints – again

Updated Dec. 20, 2021 3:25 p.m. ET

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There is still one regular-season code that Tom Brady has yet to crack as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Brady's Bucs reached the NFL's summit in his first season in Florida, winning Super Bowl LV over his youngest rival, Patrick Mahomes. But the one success that Brady has not tasted is a division victory over the New Orleans Saints. 

That trend continued Sunday, when the Saints went into Raymond James Stadium and held the defending champs scoreless. 

Since Brady arrived in Tampa before last season, in four regular-season games against their division rivals, the Bucs have gone 0-4. New Orleans welcomed Brady to Tampa Bay with a 34-23 defeat at the Superdome in Week 1 of the 2020 season. In Week 9 of the same season, N.O. blasted T.B. and T.B. 38-3 at Raymond James. 

In Week 8 of the 2021 season, the Bucs once again fell on the road to Sean Payton and the Saints, losing 36-27. And then there was Sunday.

What gives?

Of course, it's worth noting that the Bucs defeated New Orleans in the divisional round of last season's playoffs en route to that Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. But still, on Sunday, the Bucs went back to struggling against the Saints' defense.

In Tampa Bay's previous three regular-season losses to N.O., Brady was completing 64% of his passes for 274.3 pass yards per game, six touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 76.9 passer rating. He entered Sunday with seven regular-season multi-interception games with the Bucs; three had come against the Saints, including his only game with three or more picks (Week 8 of this season).

He had also thrown four pick-sixes as a member of the Bucs, two of which came against the Saints.  

The hits kept coming Sunday.

Brady completed just 26 of his 48 pass attempts (54.2%) for 214 passing yards and one interception. He had a passer rating of 57.1, by far his lowest of the season, and he lost one fumble.

Before Sunday, Brady had two of his four lowest passer ratings in games against New Orleans, including the lowest with Tampa Bay at 40.4, his only regular-season passer rating below 60 with the Bucs. 

Now, he has twice registered a passer rating under 60 in T.B. — on both occasions against the Saints.

The GOAT had also been sacked three times in each of the regular-season games against New Orleans, tied for the most he had been sacked in a game with the Bucs. He was pressured 14 times in Tampa Bay's Week 9 loss last season, the most pressures he has faced with the Bucs.

On Sunday, he was sacked four times –– the most sacks he has absorbed in his Tampa Bay career –– and New Orleans pressured him on seven of 29 dropbacks.

In other words, that N.O. defense has done a number on TB12. 

In two of Brady's losses to New Orleans with the Bucs, the Saints had now-retired franchise legend Drew Brees at the helm, taking a little of the edge off those defeats. When the Bucs defeated New Orleans in the playoffs, Brees was still under center.

But in the Saints' win earlier this season, N.O. rolled out Jameis Winston (whom Brady replaced in Tampa Bay), who was replaced by Trevor Siemian after Winston went down with an injury.

On Sunday, the Saints went with Taysom Hill as their starter and earned their second win in the past seven games, despite Hill's completing just 13 of 27 passes for 154 yards.

Hopefully for Brady, his team can stick to playing New Orleans in the playoffs –– anything but the regular season.

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National Football League

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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NFL - New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 12/20/2021