The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders this season. Tom Brady was supposed to author an epic final chapter in a storybook career when he decided to come out of retirement to play one last season at 45 years old. Both parties would probably like a mulligan at this point, because midway through the 2022 NFL season, both the Bucs and their superstar QB are sinking fast.
Tom Brady lost an NFL streak that may never be broken
It’s been a rough 24 hours for Tom Brady.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Bucs, 27-22, on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 8. The Bucs drop to 3-5 with the loss, and leave a hole atop the NFC South that will be filled by whoever wins the Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers game. While Brady still put up decent numbers in defeat — 26-of-44 for 325 yards passing with one touchdown — it’s clear his play is finally starting to slip in Year No. 23.
This is the third straight loss for the Bucs, and thus the third straight loss for Brady. Incredibly, Brady had gone 302 games without a three-game losing streak. That isn’t just an NFL record — it’s almost twice as long as the next best streak, set by Joe Montana.
Brady legitimately went 20 years without a three-game losing streak. Yes, football is a team game and he certainly does not deserve all the credit for that, but it’s pretty incredible to think about either way.
Even more incredible: Brady’s last three-game losing streak happened 20 years to the day of his loss to the Ravens.
Brady also became the most sacked QB in league history during the loss to the Ravens:
Brady seemed to be taking the loss pretty hard after the game:
Maybe now we know why:
Why the heck did Tom Brady come back for this season? His team stinks, his play has dipped, and his wife was so upset with him that she filed for divorce.
Tom Brady could have walked off into the sunset after his Super Bowl win two years ago. He could have left with his head held high after a trip to the NFC title game last season. Instead he came back for this. Rough stuff all around.
