Tom Brady on TD streak ending: "I'm bummed we lost. I think that’s all that really matters."
 |
| (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman) |
The Patriots had an abyssmal day on offense, being not only held without a touchdown but futhermore they were held to only 248 total yards.
Brady in particular had a terrible 52.2 passer rating, completing just 47% of his passes while adding a late game interception to ice the game.
While we can criticize Tom Brady and his young receivers for their lack of execution, it would be doing a disservice to the outstanding defense played by the Cincinnatti defense - who brought the quarterback to the ground four times and hit him eight times.
Still, the Patriots weren't without their chances.
The first came in the fourth quarter, when Aaron Dobson took a pass 53 yards. With some better running at the end, he might've found the endzone. Instead he fumbled the ball, but recovered it himself.
The next came on the very next play, Danny Amendola caught the ball at the one yard line, but was barely touched by a Bucs defender before he rolled into the endzone.
Three players later, Brady lofted one to Julian Edelman in the corner of the endzone but he couldn't hang on.
The Brady-Dobson connection missed one more opportunity near the end of the game, with Dobson breaking wide open down the middle of the field. However, there was miscommunication on the play as Brady threw it to the sideline where he expected the rookie to be.
Against the Saints next week, Tom Brady could've tied Drew Brees' record of 54 straight games with a touchdown pass. That intriguing storyline unfortunately won't be in play next week. Certainly, that's the last of Brady's concerns, as he needs to play a much better game to keep up with the Saints' explosive offense.
"I’m bummed we lost, I think that’s all that really matters.” Brady said when asked about the end of the streak. "There's a lot of things I can do better."
"The defense played great, as they have all year," guard Logan Mankins said after the game. "We let them down."
The Patriots could care less about Tom Brady's streak, they'd just like to start another winning streak. With dangerous opponents like the Dolphins, Saints and Broncos on the horizon, winning games is going to become more and more difficult.
