Home Opinion Editorial Buccaneers In Panic Mode After Their Worst Performance This Season

Buccaneers' quarterback Tom Brady escapes pressure from the 49ers' defense / via Getty Images

Buccaneers In Panic Mode After Their Worst Performance This Season

December 13, 2022

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady has looked forward to playing in the Bay Area against his childhood team. Requesting roughly 100 tickets, the 45-year-old quarterback was excited to play in front of friends and family.

Struggling GOAT

Unfortunately, Brady wasn’t able to put on a show for his guests. The Buccaneers struggled to move the ball offensively against the staunch 49ers’ defense. Brady threw two interceptions and had several off-target throws as well. While the game didn’t go the way Brady wanted, he still enjoyed having everyone there.

“I love having everyone here and it’s nice for my family to come and I think they had a lot of people from the neighborhood come,” Brady stated. “That’s not going to change the outcome of the game, unfortunately, just because you’ve got a cheering section. … I wish we could have done a lot better job.”

This loss wasn’t entirely on the offense, the Buccaneers’ defense made rookie quarterback Brock Purdy look like Joe Montana. Purdy led the 49ers on five scoring drives, while their defense held the Bucs to just one.

After missing a 55-yard field goal on the opening drive, the Bucs then had three consecutive three-and-outs. And the route was on at 21-0 at that point.

Brady’s two interceptions came at the start of the second half, it was all over but the crying at that point.

“I think all year we just never get off to fast starts,” Brady stated. “We’re behind and it turns into a pass-a-thon and it’s hard to play football like that. You win because you make plays and you keep them from making plays. They make plays and keep you from making plays, you lose by 28 points.”

The 45-year-old quarterback finished 34 of 55 for 253 yards. That’s the fifth fewest yards for any quarterback with that amount of completions. Hardly efficient, barely acceptable.

“We’re Not Making Plays”

Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans chimed in on the team’s issue with mistakes and lack of big plays.

“We’re not making the plays, and just unfortunate things are happening,” Evans stated. “I feel like today every big play we had got called back. Interception, called back. Touchdown, called back. It’s tough to play like that, especially against a good team.”

But I think head coach Todd Bowles said it best.

“Decide who we want to be,” Bowles stated. “We can’t be an up-and-down team. We’ve got four weeks left to find out what we want to be during this season and accomplish our goals.”

What’s more shocking than the Bucs’ offense ineptitude is that the team can literally lose every game aside from the Panthers and the Falcons game and still win the division. A little light at the end of a long dark tunnel.