Getty Tom Brady
Quarterback Tom Brady did anything but oversell a turnaround by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Mired in a two-game losing streak against previously one-win teams, Brady could only express hope of a turnaround when he talked with the media on Tuesday, October 25. Brady faces the worst 8-game start of his entire career as a starter if the Bucs (3-4) can’t beat the Ravens (4-3) on Thursday night.
“… I hope we go play better and execute well and do our jobs at a high level,” Brady told reporters. “That’s obviously the expectation for all of us, that’s what we’re working toward this week.”
Example No. 2. Granted, Godwin runs a curl, but Evans does clear it out and Brady initially looks that way:
Tampa Bay’s offense produced one touchdown in the past seven quarters of football. Brady averages 9.8 yards per completion — a career low as a starter. The Bucs running game gains an anemic league-worst 64.4 yards per game.
The Bucs defense meanwhile remains banged up amid giving up 41 points to a pair of the weakest offenses in the league during the past two games. Baltimore poses a much bigger challenge with an offense that’s 14th in yards per game, 346, and sixth in points per game, 25.9.
Can the Bucs Turn it Around at All?
Brady won’t waive a white flag on the season, but recognizes the uphill climb ahead for the 3-4 Bucs.
“Yeah, I think there’s always hope, and then there’s reality,” Brady told reporters about a turnaround. “I think you really focus on what the reality of the situation is, and that’s we haven’t played our best football. We have a lot of quality players and we’ve got to do a better job playing well.”
Brady still has the likes of wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to throw to. Fellow receiver Julio Jones could get healthy.
Tom Brady to Mike Evans #GoBucs
On the other hand, the Bucs can’t just replace “elite” interior blockers, and it could be “a problem that may be unfixable” as The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen put it. Losing tight end Rob Gronkowski also hurts more by the week, and starting tight end Cameron Brate remains out due to a neck injury.
“You’ve got to take it one week at a time. Every game’s different,” Brady said. “Things could change after this game, too, and things could change the week after that and the week after that and the week after that.”
“So, nothing in this game is given to you. You have to go earn everything and I think that’s the competitive nature of it. They’re good on the other side of the ball, too. We’ve just got to go find a way to get a win,” Brady added.
Early Leads Elude Bucs
Just getting a lead could go a long way for the Bucs, too. The Bucs haven’t scored a first quarter touchdown this season, and the team hasn’t led first in a game since Week 5.
“Yeah, playing with leads are great. That’s obviously what you want to do every week,” Brady said. “You’ve got to earn your way to a lead and I think that’s the important part. You don’t start the game up seven-nothing or 14-nothing; you’ve got to go do something about it.”
“So I think we’ve got to focus on what we have to do in order to get the ball down the field and score points. I want to score in every quarter,” Brady added. “Sometimes we make it easier on the opponents than we want because they get to do exactly what they want and we don’t.”