Tampa Bay Buccaneers “sunk in Lake Erie” showing up on a Jumobtron at Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, November 27, rings eerily true.
The Bucs suffered two losses in one with 23-17 overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns. Bucs Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs going down with a freak leg injury in overtime added to the horror.
“It’s awful,” Bucs quarterback Tom Brady told reporters. “It’s awful for us. It’s awful for him. He’s a great player for us. It’s hard to replace him.”
You could not begin to explain this injury to Tristan Wirfs. The definition of a freak accident.
Brady, who has dealt with a slew of misfortunes this season already, said he won’t dwell on “the why” of all the challenges amid the latest ones. Wirfs’ injury makes three major injuries among the Bucs starting offensive lineman alone aside from the plethora of issues facing the 5-6 squad.
“It’s up to us to change the momentum,” Brady said. “Again, I don’t think you leave it up to chance. You try to do the right thing every day of practice and every game. You try to do it consistently well over time, and we have just not done a good job of stringing enough plays together to score touchdowns consistently.”
Scoring Woes Persist for Buccaneers in Week 12
Tampa Bay mustered two or fewer touchdowns for the fifth time in the past six games and eighth time overall. The Bucs scored more than two touchdowns only twice all season.
“Seventeen points isn’t going to do it, and that’s basically what we’ve been doing all year,” Brady said.
Tom Brady now has now thrown a touchdown to 96 different players in his career.
80-yard TD drives ends with Ko Kieft scoring.
Sunday’s loss brought a new low with a blown fourth quarter lead for the first time this season. The Bucs led 17-10 for almost the whole quarter, but three drives ending in punts ultimately gave the Browns chances to tie the game. Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett did just that with a game-tying touchdown pass with 1:16 left in regulation.
“That’s football,” Brady said. “You do the right thing, and you give yourself an opportunity to win. You do the wrong thing, and it’s very difficult.”
Bucs Struggled Without Tristan Wirfs Before
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters afterward that the severity of the injury is unknown, but the Bucs know what’s coming without Wirfs on the field.
It didn’t go well when the Bucs played without Wirfs due to an ankle injury in a 30-27 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams last season in the NFC Divisional Round. It took most of that game for the Bucs offense to get going before a furious comeback from a 27-3 deficit.
Things also turned south immediately after losing Wirfs at Cleveland. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett busted through the Bucs offensive line to sack Brady, which led to a punt. The Browns capitalized with a game-winning drive.
“We had our chances,” Brady said about the loss. “Give them a lot of credit. They made some real clutch plays. We didn’t make the plays, and they did.”
Two Nasty Defensive Fronts Await Bucs
If the Bucs don’t have Wirfs back soon, the Bucs will face some of the league’s top defensive fronts without him in the next two weeks alone.
The New Orleans Saints, the Bucs’ December 5 opponent, traditionally give the Bucs trouble in the trenches. The San Francisco 49ers, which the Bucs visit on December 11, boasts a ferocious front, featuring Nick Bosa.
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Tom Brady Reacts to ‘Awful’ Injury in Buccaneers Loss