It’s open season on Tom Brady, and the Bengals are all-in.
Cincinnati bested the Buccaneers 34-23 Sunday, thanks in part to Brady’s brutal second-half performance. The all-time great turned the ball over on four consecutive drives, giving the Bengals possession in Bucs territory three of those times. The Bengals converted all three opportunities into quick scores.
After the game, some members of the Bengals defense flaunted their late-game domination over Brady, using his words against him.
Heading into Sunday, Brady made seemingly banal remarks about the Bengals. On his podcast, he called them a “great young team” with a “great young quarterback” that features a “fairly tough defense.”
Cincinnati defenders took issue with Brady’s qualifier.
“Hey! We’re fairly tough on defense. Remember that, alright?,” said defensive lineman B.J. Hill as he headed towards the locker room.
Hill repeated that barb when talking to reporters post-game.
Cornerback Eli Apple added his own spin, saying Brady was “fairly OK,” but not good enough to win.
In a season full of low points, Sunday was probably Brady’s nadir. He’s now lost eight games for the first time in his career and the Buccaneers need to win out if he’s going to avoid his first losing campaign.
Entering Sunday, Brady was 89-0 when leading by at least 17 points. He’s now 89-1, as the Bengals erased a 17-point deficit.
While the Bengals deserve a lot of credit, Brady aided their comeback efforts. His interception to Tre Flowers was a weak throw, and Brady even fumbled a simple hand-off exchange.
Overall, the 6-8 Bucs have one of the worst offenses in the league and are a discombobulated mess. Brady is no longer invincible.
To the Bengals, he’s now a punching bag — and a fairly easy one, at that.