Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay defense continue to struggle in Buccaneers' second straight loss

Updated Nov. 15, 2021 3:56 p.m. ET

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Any time Tom Brady doesn't play like Tom Brady, it's noteworthy.

To see him falter two weeks in a row is an aberration that skews remarkably from his normal excellence.

Brady's most recent outing was marred by early-game blunders. He couldn't seem to find comfort in the pocket, as the Washington Football Team's ferocious defense forced several early throws and flushed him out of the pocket on numerous occasions early on.

The heavily favored Buccaneers (the defending champs entered the matchup as -455 favorites to win, according to FOXBet) were forced to punt on a rocky first possession before Brady was pressured into two costly interceptions on back-to-back drives.

Tom Brady throws two interceptions in the first quarter of Buccaneers' 29-19 loss to Washington

Tom Brady was intercepted twice in the first quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 29-19 defeat by the Washington Football Team.

The totals from Tampa Bay's first three drives were troubling: eight plays, 20 positive yards, a punt and two INTs. That's far from the prodigious performances the unit is used to.

Washington jumped ahead on the other side of the ball, taking a 16-6 lead into the halftime break and preserving the embers of a fiery start in the second half. 

Brady –– as he normally does –– refused to go away lightly, flicking his magic wand of a right arm to the tune of two TDs, the latter of which drew his group within four points early in the fourth.

But Washington's final drive was the stuff of magnificence. Taylor Heinicke drained time on the clock like it was gunk in a sink, sustaining a final push that lasted 19 plays and went for 80 yards and included the decisive score.

The drive lasted more than 10 minutes, leaving even Brady with too little time to incite a comeback effort.

For the Bucs, their second consecutive loss adds an extra layer of calamity to their suspect showing against New Orleans the week prior, in which they lost 36-27.

Despite tossing four TDs in the late stages of another come-from-behind endeavor, Brady relinquished two interceptions in that tilt as well.

This week marked the first time since Weeks 11 and 12 of last season that Brady threw two interceptions in consecutive weeks. The Bucs suffered the same result, dropping contests to the Rams and Chiefs in succession.

Brady's numbers through his first seven games were MVP-worthy. He tossed 21 touchdown passes with just three interceptions. But lately, that ratio has thinned to a much slimmer margin. 

In his previous two outings, his numbers paint the picture of a QB who's clearly in the midst of a drought: six passing TDs to four INTs.

The Bucs have also given away five turnovers in their previous two games after surrendering just seven through their first seven contests.

And while Brady has certainly undergone his own pitfalls through the losing slide, the blame for the squad's struggles isn't fully his.

The Buccaneers' defense has been abysmal in comparison to its normal form.

Through the team's first seven affairs, Tampa Bay gave up 21 points per game. That marks a stark difference from its past two, in which the defense has relinquished a stunning 32.5 points per game against offenses not known for consistently robust point totals.

Is it time for the Bucs to hit the concern button, if not the panic button?

Nick Wright said yes on Monday's edition of "First Things First" and added that maybe reality is setting in for Brady a little more than a year after he left New England.

"They've played four teams that would currently be in the playoffs –– Washington is not one of them –– and they're 2-2. … Don't judge divorces so quickly. … It looked like, ‘Oh my God, Tom Brady has won the divorce going away.’ But as we sit here today, amazingly, the Bucs and the Patriots have the same amount of victories."

Skip Bayless wasn't so quick to come down on Brady, saying that after his rough start, the QB was in the process of going nuclear in the second half –– but his defense failed him.

"Tom Brady in the second half: 12-of-14 [passing] for 116 [yards], two touchdowns and no picks. … If you had stopped any of those four third downs and got him the ball back with two, three minutes left, [it's] over. He's gonna go win the game."

There's still plenty of time for the Bucs to sort things out –– eight games, to be exact –– but what appeared to be an easy Super Bowl pick could be losing momentum in a big way as far as championship odds are concerned.

The Lombardi Trophy remains up for grabs.

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