Tom Brady's debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was mostly a struggle.
After a strong start, including a touchdown on their first drive of the game, Brady and the Bucs couldn't generate enough offense in a 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
Brady completed 23 of 36 pass attempts for 239 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of those interceptions was a pick-6 by Saints defensive back Janoris Jenkins.
This play gave the Saints a 24-7 lead in the third quarter, and while Brady did respond by leading the Buccaneers into the end zone on their next drive, the damage was done.
Curran: Cam was great, but Pats' defense was better in Week 1
Brady has now thrown a pick-6 in three consecutive games -- Sunday versus the Saints, last season's AFC Wild Card loss to the Tennessee Titans and a Week 17 defeat to the Miami Dolphins. The last two instances came with the New England Patriots.
Pro Football Reference tweeted a stat on Brady's last couple pick-6s that might surprise you:
Ouch.
Brady was hard on himself after the game.
“Well, I certainly think poor execution and that’s what it comes down to," Brady said. "It’s a game of execution. Obviously, they made more plays than we did and I just made some bad, terrible turnovers and it’s hard to win turning the ball over like that. I obviously have to do a lot better job."
Three takeaways from the Patriots' Week 1 win
Luckily for Brady and the Buccaneers, their upcoming schedule isn't very hard, so they should be able to develop more chemistry and build some confidence over the next three or four games.