After a 6-1 start, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl title defense hit a snag after back-to-back losses to division rival New Orleans Saints and Washington Football Team. The Buccaneers are still on top of the NFC South with a 6-3 record, but for Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel, the team is still in a good position despite a frustrating November for the 44-year-old Tom Brady. "To go back to what Brady learned in New England, nothing really matters until after Thanksgiving weekend. December and January (and February) is when the team needs to be rolling," Wetzel said in his column.
In Brady's 10 Super Bowl appearances, Wetzel pointed out that his teams have gone a combined 42-5 after Thanksgiving weekend, including their 4-0 finish to the regular season last year en route to the Buccaneers' first Super Bowl title since 2002.
Brady has an almost unbeatable record in December, January
Last season, the Buccaneers were 7-5 at the start of December, but they never lost again in their next eight games, including the 31-9 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. According to Wetzel, if Brady is working with a good team that is capable of capturing a conference title, they have an almost unbeatable 89.5 winning percentage in December and January of the regular season.
Brady's record in November is not that bad at 27-7 or a 79.4 winning percentage, Wetzel pointed out. In their 29-19 loss to the Football Team, Brady completed 23 of 34 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Brady set two more records against the Saints, but he had a miscue that cost them the game.
Brady speaks about 'upsets' in NFL
Aside from the Football Team's win over the Buccaneers, there were many upsets in Week 10, including the San Francisco 49ers' 31-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. But for Brady, there's no such thing as upsets in the league when asked about them during his podcast "Let's Go." "On any given week, if you play less than what you're capable, and another team plays more consistently than what they've shown, there's always an opportunity to lose," said Brady, adding every team has a chance to lose whenever they take the field.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion said many factors could affect the team's performance against any other opponent, especially when it comes to consistency. During his podcast, Brady said any team that could get behind by 10 points in the first quarter is in for a hard day.
The Buccaneers have a chance to end a two-game losing slide when they take on the New York Giants on Sunday. The Buccaneers are an 11-point favorite over the Giants. In the regular season, Brady has a 5-1 mark against the Giants, but he's 0-2 against them in the playoffs, with both losses happening in Super Bowls.
