EXCLUSIVE: "In the lower 10 percentile of games" - Ex-NFL HC Mike Smith blames Tom Brady for Buccaneers' loss to Bengals
The 2022 season has not been kind to Tom Brady. From personal problems off the field to poor performances on it, the seven-time Super Bowl winner has looked like a shadow of his former self.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently sit 6-8 in the NFC South, which is still very much up for grabs. While the Buccaneers' recent inadequacies can't be blamed solely on Brady, the quarterback has definitely faced some heat for his recent performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While Tom Brady put on a show in the first half, it was all Burrow and the Bengals in the second. Brady even finished the night with two interceptions. While talking to Reggie Roberts on Sportskeeda's BallFather podcast, former NFL head coach Mike Smith weighed in on the NFC side's performances of late and their chances of clinching what has been an underwhelming division:
"They're terrible, But they're saying they're still not out of it. But nobody's out of it in the NFC South. It's just been a tough year for the Buccaneers. It started at the end of the season last year, and it's just been one thing after another."
Bucs QB Tom Brady on whether they can build off the 17-0 start on offense last Sunday vs. Bengals. https://t.co/zdH9ksvwY8
While many have pinned the blame on head coach Todd Bowles' decision-making, Smith believes the game-changer was ultimately Brady's two interceptions:
"People now are saying things that I think are just crazy like, 'Oh, do they have the right head coach?' Look, Todd Bowles is a heck of a football coach. There's no doubt about it. They gave up 34 points, and I get it. But it's the Bengals. They're a very, very good football team. But the loss came because of the Bucs' turnovers."
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Smith, who formerly coached the Atlanta Falcons, went on to say that TB12's performance against the Bengals was among the worst of his career:
"Tom Brady did not have one of his better gamesi. It was probably in the lower 10 percentile of his games and that was the difference."
With three games remaining, the Buccaneers will need to find some answers quickly. Their upcoming match against the Arizona Cardinals might look easy on paper, but with the stakes high, the team knows that any more slip-ups could potentially lead to a premature end to their playoff dreams.
Tom Brady admits his role in Buccaneers' nightmare collapse against Bengals
Still reeling from his team's loss to the Bengals, Brady admitted his fault in the collapse on the Let's Go! podcast:
“Rough day and, man, losing sucks. It’s just the reality. There’s not a lot of explanation. Unfortunately, I’ve had to do too much of that this year. So just learning from it and trying to be better."
He continued:
"And obviously woke up at 3:00 a.m. (Monday) morning just trying to figure out, you know, I just had some real sh***y plays [Sunday] at the end of the day. So you can’t win when the quarterback turns it over four times. And that’s on me. So that’s how I feel.”
Despite the loss, the team still sits pretty on top of the NFC South. But things could take a turn for the worse, especially with the Carolina Panthers set to visit Tampa in Week 17, breathing down their necks.