The Buccaneers are struggling.
After scoring just three points in the Week Seven loss to Carolina, Tampa Bay is now 22nd in total yards and 26th in points scored. While the club ranks No. 6 in passing yards, it’s No. 32 in rushing yards and last at 3.0 yards per carry.
The Bucs have scored 30 points just once this season — the 41-31 loss to the Chiefs in Week Four. And now they’re in danger of losing a third straight game and their fifth of six games when they play the Ravens on Thursday night.
At 45 years old, quarterback Tom Brady is avoiding turnovers, as he’s thrown only one interception. But a telling stat is his yards per attempt — that’s down to 6.6. Last season it was at 7.4. In 2020, it was at 7.6.
On Tuesday, Brady was asked if he sees hope for the offense to jell as the season continues.
“Yeah, I think there’s always hope, and then there’s reality,” Brady said in his press conference. “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.
“You’ve got to take it one week at a time. Every game’s different. 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.”
Could there be some significant improvement for the Bucs’ offense on Thursday?
“I mean, like I said, I hope we go play better and execute well and do our jobs at a high level,” Brady said. “That’s obviously the expectation for all of us, that’s what we’re working toward this week.”
So far in 2022, the Buccaneers haven’t lived up to those expectations, though for now, they’re still in first place in the NFC South. But given the team’s play through seven weeks, it’s not a given that they’ll stay atop the division into January.
