Getty Tom Brady didn't hold back in his message to the Buccaneers after their latest loss.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has seen enough.
After enough stagnant offensive performance in a 20-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 45-year-old quarterback had a direct message for his team — the Buccaneers are not doing enough to win games. Tampa Bay was heavily favored in their away matchup versus the previously 1-4 Steelers.
“We didn’t earn it,” Brady told reporters after the game. “Didn’t earn the win, so it’s a game of earning it and it’s a game of playing well and performing well, and we’re just not doing a good job of that. I think we’ve done it for six weeks. I think we’re all playing less than what we’re capable of, and we’ve all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why.”
Buccaneers Offense is Struggling in 2022
The Buccaneers scored just 18 points, the fifth time in six games that they’ve scored 21 points or less. As Greg Auman of The Athletic pointed out, Tampa Bay had scored 21 points or less in a combined five games over the previous two seasons.
“Total games scoring 21 or less points for Bucs: 2022: 5 2021: 3 2020: 2,” said Auman.
The Steelers entered their Week 6 matchup versus the Buccaneers as the 26th-ranked defense in the league. However, they managed to shut down Tampa Bay’s offensive unit without T.J. Watt and three defensive backs, including former Pro Bowler Minkah Fitzpatrick.
As ESPN’s Brooke Pryor pointed out, the Steelers’ win over the Buccaneers is the biggest upset win this season and their biggest upset since the 2005 playoffs when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts.
“The Steelers closed as a 9.5-underdog at Caesars — their largest home underdog margin since 1970,” said Pryor. “In beating the Bucs 20-18, the Steelers had their largest upset win since 05 Div Round vs. Indy when they were 9.5 dogs. It’s also now the largest upset in the NFL this season.”
Buccaneers Mediocre in Red Zone and on Third Downs
The Buccaneers went just 4-of-14 on third-down conversions (28.6 percent) and 1-of-4 on red zone attempts. By comparison, Tampa Bay converted on 44.8 percent of their third-down attempts last season, ranking fifth in the league. In terms of red zone efficiency, the Buccaneers scored touchdowns on 65.8 percent of their attempts last season, ranking second in the league.
Through several games this season, Tampa Bay ranks 14th in the league in third-down efficiency (39.7 percent) and 15th in red zone efficiency (57.1 percent).
“We gotta find a way to score in the red zone,” head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. “We have to find a way to be better in short yardage, 3rd-and-1, 4th-and-inches, we gotta find a way to be better.”
When asked if the offensive line is the issue, Brady answered that it’s the entire offense that’s the problem.
“It’s all of us,” said Brady after the loss. “It’s the whole offense. We all have to do a better job. The run game, the pass game. Everyone has to do a better job. Obviously there’s no position that’s performing at an elite level right now.”
If the Buccaneers are going to have any chance at contending for a Super Bowl this season, they have to get better across the board. Considering they’re over one-third through the season, they should probably get to work as soon as possible.