Getty Tom Brady lost a game with a one-score lead in the final minute for the first time in his career on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady did the unthinkable on Sunday, November 27, in a 23-17 overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Brady, who has 55 game-winning drives and 43 fourth-quarter comebacks, had never lost a game with his team leading by seven in the final minute of regulation, according to CBS Sports. His 218-0 record in that scenario went kerplunk.
“I did hear that,” Brady told Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go!” podcast on Monday, November 28. “My first thought was, ‘I guess I’ll have to start a new 218-game winning streak next week.’ That might be a little ambitious for my age.”
Tom Brady up 7+ points in final 2 minutes of regulation
entering Sunday 218-0
Sunday 0-1
(incl. postseason)
The 23-year veteran hasn’t enjoyed an easy go of things this season with the Bucs at 5-6. Brady hasn’t ever been below .500 this far into a season as a starter, and the Bucs’ ongoing offensive issues don’t bode well for a quick fix.
“Look, losing is hard for all of us, but I’d rather lose and play than not play at all,” Brady told Gray. “I love playing. I love competing. I love trying to be a little bit better every day. I love going out there with a sense of purpose to try to get better.”
“And ultimately, I love trying to play at a championship level for my teammates,” Brady added. “And obviously there’s challenges every year. Everybody has unique challenges, you know, on and off the field. You work as hard as you can with the circumstances that are presented before you. We’re just going to keep fighting ’til the end and we’ll be measured by, again, by what happens over the course of a long season.”
Brady Owns Mistakes
Brady acknowledged his own shortcomings in the loss to the Browns. He went 29-43 passing for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns, but failures in key moments made the difference.
“I had a chance to hit Mike [Evans] down the sideline in overtime to win the game and I didn’t get it done,” Brady told Gray. “You can give in to the outside noise and everyone telling you, ‘Oh, it’s not your fault, it’s someone else’s fault.’ I think that’s BS. It is your fault when you lose and you take it personally when you lose.”
Brady: ‘It’s Not One Player’
Brady added that it will take the whole team to turn things around, but he knows he needs to set the example.
Tom Brady takes his first few warmup throws at the Bucs’ first practice here in Munich. A backwards cap and hoodie type of a day for him.
“Well, I think it’s a consistency for, you know, so many positive plays and then undone by kind of untimely mistakes by our team,” Brady told Gray. “And it’s not one player, it’s not one position. Football’s the ultimate team sport and I’ve always believed as a leader you always take the blame and you always give the credit. And that’s just, I always feel like that because really that’s what leadership is all about. I always look at what I need to do better.”
“It’s a tough situation to be in, have a losing record, but that’s our reality and we haven’t done anything to earn more than that,” Brady added. “And if you wanna win games, if you wanna win a fight, if you wanna win a golf match, if you want to win your Monopoly [game], you gotta earn it. No one’s gonna hand it to you. You gotta go out there every day and try to earn it through the process of improvement.”