Believe It: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Are in Trouble

It's true that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were just 7-5 entering the home stretch last season before going on their Super Bowl run and that they remain in even better shape at 6-3 right now. But don't let that fool you into believing that the defending champions are on easy street. 

Lightning rarely strikes twice in the NFL, and a shocking 29-19 loss Sunday to the lowly Washington Football Team is an indication Tom Brady and the Bucs are in big trouble as they embark on the post-bye portion of their 2021 campaign. 

It was Tampa Bay's second consecutive multi-score loss and Brady's second consecutive multi-interception performance. It also came despite the fact that Brady and Co. had two weeks to prepare for Washington, which is jarring because the Bucs were 6-0 with an average scoring margin of 36-16 in their last six affairs in which they had more than a week to prepare. 

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Even the best teams have duds here and there, but this wasn't a complete aberration. Before their Week 9 bye, the Buccaneers fell to a depleted New Orleans Saints team that was without its starting quarterback, its best receiver and several key defensive players. And let's not forget that they merely survived in close victories over the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots or that they bombed in a double-digit-margin loss to the Los Angeles Rams. 

The Bucs could easily be 4-5 right now. Their only three convincing wins came at home against the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears, which isn't saying much. They'll have more chances at hallmark victories, particularly against the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 12 and against the Buffalo Bills at home in Week 14. But right now, they've lost back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a calendar year, and it's becoming increasingly likely that they'll be stuck with road games and no bye come playoff time. 

Again, that was the case last year and it worked out well. The odds don't favor that happening again. Brady is mortal, and 44. They're also far from healthy, and defending champs always have a target on their back. There's a reason it's been 17 years since a team last won back-to-back Super Bowls. 

On Sunday, they lost standout defensive lineman Vita Vea to what appeared to be a serious knee injury as backup-caliber Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke completed all but six of his 32 passes. They've now surrendered 65 points the last two games, and it's become apparent that the depleted secondary is a significant liability. That unit can't get off the field.  

On the other side of the ball, Brady was stunningly ineffective at making plays against the NFC's lowest-rated pass defense in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average at Football Outsiders). He completed just two passes that traveled 15-plus yards, and he has just five such completions during this two-game slump. 

But this goes beyond the numbers. The Bucs look like an uninspired, unfocused, sloppy team. Color analyst Dave Moore called the team out for its body language and its lack of sense of urgency on Sunday, according to Joe Bucs Fan. The Super Bowl hangover is real, and this one appears to be one of those that kicks in later than usual. Dropped passes, missed tackles and turnovers are killing their chances at a repeat before our eyes. And if they can't cure all of that in the coming weeks, they risk falling out of the top spot in the NFC South entirely. 

The New York Giants are next on Monday night. They have of course been a bugaboo for Brady, and they've been feisty of late. They'll have had two weeks to prepare for Tampa Bay, so they should be considered a bigger obstacle than a Trevor Siemian-quarterbacked Saints team or a Heinicke-led Washington team. 

Beyond that, the schedule becomes much more difficult with Indy, Buffalo and New Orleans on the slate over the course of a four-week stretch. 

It's tempting to give them the benefit of the doubt because, well, Brady. And, yeah, he and that entire team caught fire in December and January last season. That could certainly happen again, but do keep in mind that a then-42-year-old Brady completed just 55.4 percent of his passes and posted an ugly 80.9 passer rating during the final seven weeks of his 2019 season in New England. He also struggled a tad late in his Super Bowl-winning 2018 season, so there's plenty of evidence that the league's oldest player runs out of gas as seasons wear on. 

We have to consider the possibility that last winter was the exception rather than the rule. The Bucs are starting to show their age, and they don't look remotely like a Super Bowl contender right now. If that doesn't change soon, it'll be too late.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.