Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said criticism of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich during the team's three-game losing streak was unfair and cast a spotlight on the play of Tom Brady.

"I don't think it was fair to Byron," Arians, who serves as a senior adviser on the Bucs organization, told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com. "Nobody is going to say that Brady was playing bad, but he was playing bad. We also had growing pains on a young offensive front, and we weren't running well. There comes a time as a play-caller when you're losing yards running the ball and you say, 'Forget this, I'm putting the ball in Tom's hands.'"

Brady threw for just two touchdowns over Tampa's losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens, which dropped the Bucs to 3-5. Those losses, particularly ones to lowly Carolina and Pittsburgh, will likely play a huge factor in Tampa's playoff seeding—assuming the team is able to win the weak NFC South.

Much of Brady's struggles can be attributed to injuries across the offensive line and receiving corps, which has led to a general inconsistency that's frustrated the veteran quarterback. Brady currently sits second in the NFL in passing yards (2,805), but he's thrown as many touchdown passes (12) as Marcus Mariota (tied for 14th).

The Bucs is sitting 27th in red-zone touchdown percentage after finishing second in the NFL last season.

Brady is on pace for 20 touchdown passes, which would be the worst mark since 2001 (his first season as a starter).

Arians expressed confidence in the Bucs turning things around, noting their offense was far more effective in Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks—even if it wasn't entirely done through the air.

The Bucs are off in Week 11 before traveling to play the Cleveland Browns in Week 12.

Antonio Brown shared an old text on social media apparently from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, which seemed to call out of the receiver's questionable behavior off the field:

So is Antonio Brown attempting to make Tom Brady look like the bad guy here? Because he comes across as a damn good friend here... pic.twitter.com/8MZwsWFeg4

— Toucher & Hardy (@toucherandhardy) November 15, 2022

"You are acting selfish and unfortunately many of those people are exhausted by the erratic and unpredictable emotional behavior," Brady wrote.

The text was dated May, 10, 2021, which was after Brown's first season with the Buccaneers. The seven-time Pro Bowler helped Brady and Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl and he was seeking a new deal with the organization.

On April 28, his agents told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network that Brown had agreed to a new one-year deal with the Buccaneers. However, it took several weeks for the two sides to actually put pen to paper.

It wasn't until May 25 that the Bucs officially announced the signing.

There was clearly something that held up the deal, which was enough for Brady to call out his teammate. At the time, head coach Bruce Arians only said the wideout needed a physical and praised Brown for his behavior.

"We wanted AB back," Arians told the Pewter Report. "He was a model citizen the whole time he's been here. We wanted him back and he's never had surgery in his life. It's just a matter of physical done. I wanted him back the whole time."

Things obviously didn't end well in this situation, as an on-field outburst led to the Bucs releasing Brown in the middle of the next season.

The relationship between Brown and Brady also soured. Brown went from living with Brady when he arrived in Tampa Bay to trolling the quarterback following the highly publicized divorce with Gisele Bündchen.

While Brown's latest post might have been intended to further criticize Brady, it instead comes across as a genuine call for Brown to turn things around.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White helped lead his team to victory Sunday just days after the death of his father.

Devin White lost his father on Thursday, and played his heart out today. ❤️

White had 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. pic.twitter.com/oUmpZ6KjId

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) November 13, 2022

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles praised White for even playing in the game in Germany:

"To lose your dad right before you're getting ready to go to Germany, and to come out and still play, it says a lot about the guy."

Your Bucs family is here for you, @DevinWhite__40! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/eEQfJo7MlZ

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 13, 2022

The Buccaneers earned a 21-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 5-5 on the season.

White was selected by the Bucs with the fifth pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of LSU. He recorded 242 total tackles, 15 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception across his first three seasons, and he entered Sunday with a team-high 67 tackles to go with three sacks in nine games.

The 24-year-old Louisiana native showcased impressive durability during his rise to stardom at the collegiate level. He dealt with a knee sprain during his debut campaign but played 32 of a possible 33 games over the next two years.

White and Lavonte David give the Buccaneers one of the top linebacking groups in the league and are a big reason why they remain a contender in the NFC South despite a slow start to the season.

Leonard Fournette was deemed doubtful to return to Sunday's 21-16 win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Seattle Seahawks with a hip injury.

But regardless of whether that injury hampers him going forward, it appears that Rachaad White is in line for a bigger role.

White rushed 22 times for 105 yards on the day, out-touching Fournette (14 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, one reception for one yard) while making the most of increased opportunity.

THIS STIFF ARM. 😱💪

📺: #SEAvsTB on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/M32DOvVAld pic.twitter.com/3bGaTinOkI

— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2022

What a day for Rachaad White.

He picks up a critical first down for the @Buccaneers.

📺: #SEAvsTB on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/M32DOwdJzl pic.twitter.com/wdlp90yRhc

— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White seals it.@TomBrady is fired up.

📺: #SEAvsTB on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/M32DOvVAld pic.twitter.com/7B72ubN85M

— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2022

Because Fournette found the end zone, he had the bigger fantasy day, registering 10.8 points in PPR leagues compared to White's 10.5 points. But there was no doubt that the usage of both players was a major story around the fantasy football world after the early game in Germany, even before Fournette's injury.

Rachaad White truthers officially welcoming Leonard Fournette to the RB dead zone:pic.twitter.com/nPnwILskcZ

— Moody (@EricNMoody) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White pic.twitter.com/0yFBvCCJib

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White to Lenny during the bye week.... pic.twitter.com/pKIx92M9Z0

— Chris Vaccaro (@ChrisVaccaroGST) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White just became the Buccaneers starting franchise RB for years to come. Impressive game by the rookie. Over 100 yards.

— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White with the start in London + Leonard Fournette injured mid-3Q. Bucs RB touches to that point:

Fournette 14
White 11

Touches once Fournette exited:

White 13
Ke'Shawn Vaughn 3

White with 4/34 rushing to ice the game on final drive.

— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White is a top-12 RB in Week 12 out of the Bucs’ Bye week

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) November 13, 2022

Rachaad White’s coming out party. @chaad_3 is one of best pure athletes to come out at RB position in past five drafts. His emergence could be season-changer for Bucs.

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) November 13, 2022

White is going to be a must-add on waivers this week, even with the Bucs heading into a bye.

If Fournette's injury is serious enough to keep him out of action following the bye week, White immediately jumps into the RB2 conversation for your lineup. But if Fournette remains healthy, a full-blown platoon situation may be unfolding.

White appears to be the better pure runner at this point, though Fournette—who came into Sunday with 42 catches for 314 yards and three touchdowns on 49 targets—should still have a significant role in the offense if he can stay on the field, at least as a receiver out of the backfield.

In a platoon situation, both would have risky flex upside unless White steals the job outright or Fournette reasserts his hold on the starting gig. But White showed what he is capable of with a bigger role—for that reason alone, he should be one of your top waiver priorities this week.

It's time to stop asking Tom Brady to do things on a football field that involve anything other than standing in a pocket and throwing a pass.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went deep into their bag of tricks and asked Brady to serve as a receiver on a Leonard Fournette pass in Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

It was every bit the disaster you'd expect from a 45-year-old whose Apple Watch exercise ring doesn't even fill halfway during most games.

TOM BRADY AS WIDE RECEIVER?

Didn't go as planned 😅

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/5bqrieuosA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2022

Brady running routes https://t.co/3QBRLJP83r

— kyle (@knicks_tape99) November 13, 2022

No one:

Tom Brady running a passing route: pic.twitter.com/h9103vujaX

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) November 13, 2022

Never throw the ball to Brady

— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) November 13, 2022

im upset tom brady slipped i wanted to see him go for a contested catch

— charles (“you look good” - andy reid) mcdonald (@FourVerts) November 13, 2022

Tom Brady seeing that play in the playbook ever again pic.twitter.com/9SNqI4CIJF

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 13, 2022

Imagine having a 60% success rate when passing on early downs and one of the few times you pass on early downs, you let Leonard Fournette throw the rock as opposed to perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/Sz6IAqSbGP

— Raheem Palmer (@iamrahstradamus) November 13, 2022

To be fair, it's unlikely prime Randy Moss would have been able to pull down a truly terrible pass from Fournette.

That said, what on earth were the Bucs thinking with that play call? We already know throwing the ball to Brady never ends well. The man whose 40-yard-dash became a two-decade meme shouldn't have been running routes at 25, let alone 45.

With the Bucs offense rolling after weeks of struggles, this was a situation where offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich got much too cute in the booth rather than simply sticking with what worked.

The result was...very, very funny, and we all thank Leftwich for his service to our meme folders.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette was nearly forced to miss Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks in Germany due to visa issues.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Fournette's replacement passport was delayed due to inclement weather, calling his status into question. Fournette's passport did not arrive until Thursday, just prior to the Bucs' plane leaving for Germany.

The Bucs and Seahawks are set to play the NFL's first regular-season game in Germany as part of an ongoing global expansion. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is hopeful to continue expanding its footprint in Germany.

“In our commitment, we're going to play the next four years, at least, and with at least four games,” Goodell told reporters. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it expanded beyond that at some point soon.”

Fournette has rushed for 405 yards and two touchdowns while adding 42 receptions for 314 yards and three scores this season.

Needing a win heading into their Week 11 bye, the Bucs will be thankful Fournette was able to make the trip. Seattle enters the weekend as one of the NFL's worst defenses, which should open up the possibility for a massive game for Fournette.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has "zero" regrets about coming out of retirement to rejoin a Tampa Bay team that has struggled through the first half of the 2022 campaign, he told reporters Friday.

Brady said, via ESPN's Jenna Laine:

"I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete and I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back. I don't really regret those types of things—I think when I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best and try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity."

Brady announced his retirement from football in February before unretiring just 40 days later, announcing that he would finish out the remainder of his contract with the Buccaneers in 2023, citing "unfinished business."

However, Brady and the Bucs don't look remotely close to being able to contend for another Super Bowl title. While the team is first in the NFC South, it holds a 4-5 record and has posted abysmal losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

The 45-year-old added Friday that he thinks the team needs to begin playing with more fire through the second half of the season:

"What can we control? We can certainly control our attitude, our effort. I think everything has been below the line this year—we're 4-5 ... I don't think there's any reason to be happy about anything we've done. Obviously, we're not playing to our standards—we're not there from an effort standpoint, execution standpoint, emotional standpoint. We've got to figure it out—this is a good place to do it."

Brady has put together a respectable season, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,547 yards and 10 touchdowns against one interception through nine games. However, his receiving unit has been somewhat lackluster.

Mike Evans leads the team with 44 catches for 617 yards and three scores on 70 targets, while Chris Godwin ranks second with 42 catches for 404 yards on 65 targets. Russell Gage, Scotty Miller and Breshad Perriman have been mostly ineffective, and Julio Jones has been sidelined for five games due to injury.

Tampa Bay's rushing offense has been even worse. Leonard Fournette has rushed for 405 yards and two scores in nine games, and his backup, Rachaad White, has rushed for just 117 yards and one score.

If the Bucs beat the Seattle Seahawks in Germany on Sunday, they'll be 5-5. Going into the bye week at .500 would be a great way for the team to reset.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers surely didn't envision a 4-5 record and their offense being largely to blame for the struggles through early November.

After all, Tom Brady returned after a temporary retirement, and there aren't many better one-two punches at wide receiver than Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Throw in Leonard Fournette at running back, and it was reasonable to expect the unit to be one of the NFL's best.

Instead, Tampa Bay is 25th in the league in points per game (18.0).

Brady's frustration has been apparent at times while yelling at his teammates on the sidelines or throwing a tablet, and fantasy football players who were relying on the all-time great are surely frustrated as well.

So frustrated that they may look to trade him in what could be a buy-low opportunity for other managers as fantasy trade deadlines approach.

While Brady has had just one game all year with more than one touchdown pass, he has thrown for 325 yards or more in three of his last six contests. The yardage production has been noteworthy, and the Buccaneers will still face a number of vulnerable secondaries down the stretch.

Tampa Bay finishes with games against the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, who are 25th, 21st and last in the league in passing yards allowed per game, respectively.

That means trading for Brady could set you up with ideal matchups come the fantasy playoffs, and his early-season struggles wouldn't even matter at that point.

The same can be said about Evans and Godwin, who figure to be productive given their track records.

Evans has never failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards since entering the league in 2014, and Godwin has surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in two of the last three years. The latter could be quite the buy-low candidate in a trade considering he has dealt with injuries and is yet to catch a touchdown.

The Buccaneers have been frustrating, but they could break out against poor secondaries during the fantasy playoffs.

That makes Brady, Godwin and Evans worthy of targeting in potential trades.

The NFL has officially crossed the halfway point of the 2022 season with Week 9 in the books, and the postseason is now on the horizon as the second half of the year begins.

Here's a look at the current playoff picture heading into Week 10 as well as some matchups to keep an eye on.

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NFC

1. Philadelphia Eagles, 8-0

2. Minnesota Vikings, 7-1

3. Seattle Seahawks, 6-3

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-5

5. Dallas Cowboys, 6-2

6. New York Giants, 6-2

7. San Francisco 49ers, 4-4

8. Atlanta Falcons, 4-5

9. Washington Commanders, 4-5

10. Los Angeles Rams, 3-5

11. New Orleans Saints, 3-6

12. Green Bay Packers, 3-6

13. Arizona Cardinals, 3-6

14. Chicago Bears, 3-6

15. Detroit Lions, 2-6

16. Carolina Panthers, 2-7

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AFC

1. Buffalo Bills, 6-2

2. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-2

3. Baltimore Ravens, 6-3

4. Tennessee Titans, 5-3

5. New York Jets, 6-3

6. Miami Dolphins, 6-3

7. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-3

8. New England Patriots, 5-4

9. Cincinnati Bengals, 5-4

10. Indianapolis Colts, 3-5-1

11. Cleveland Browns, 3-5

12. Denver Broncos, 3-5

13. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-6

14. Las Vegas Raiders, 2-6

15. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-6

16. Houston Texans, 1-6-1

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Projected NFC Matchups

Bye: Philadelphia Eagles

(2) Minnesota Vikings vs. (7) San Francisco 49ers

(3) Seattle Seahawks vs. (6) New York Giants

(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) Dallas Cowboys

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Projected AFC Matchups

Bye: Buffalo Bills

(2) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (7) Los Angeles Chargers

(3) Baltimore Ravens vs. (6) Miami Dolphins

(4) Tennessee Titans vs. (5) New York Jets

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the biggest jump this week and likely saved their season with Sunday's last-second comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The win coupled with a loss by the Atlanta Falcons propelled the Bucs from 10th place to fourth, with a prime opportunity in front of them in Week 10.

The Bucs will face the third-place Seattle Seahawks next Sunday morning at Allianz Arena in Munich. The Seahawks have been the biggest surprise of the season so far, so a win over Tampa Bay could further cement Seattle as a title contender in the NFC. Conversely, a Bucs win could be key later in the season for seeding purposes.

The other marquee matchup of Week 10 features a pair of powerhouses as the Buffalo Bills will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings have also been a revelation this year and are riding a six-game win streak into the contest.

The Bills are coming off an upset loss to the New York Jets, who surprisingly find themselves in the playoff picture as they enter their bye week. A loss to Minnesota would drop Buffalo to a tie with New York, which would make things interesting in the competitive AFC East.

To make matters worse for Buffalo, star quarterback Josh Allen is reportedly being evaluated for an elbow injury, putting his status for the Vikings game in question.

This week's Sunday Night Football matchup features a clash of two teams fighting to hold on to their playoff positions, as the Los Angeles Chargers will visit the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams are in the seventh and final playoff spot in their respective conferences, so a loss in Week 10 could be damaging.

Things were looking quite bleak for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

They were staring at a four-game losing streak when Tom Brady's fourth-down pass to Mike Evans fell incomplete in the final two minutes against the Los Angeles Rams. It didn't help that Scotty Miller dropped a potential go-ahead touchdown pass two plays earlier as Tampa Bay was trailing 13-9.

However, the defense got the ball back for the offense one more time, and Brady worked his magic with a game-winning touchdown pass to Cade Otton.

"Doubt does start to creep in," the legendary quarterback said on his Let's Go! podcast (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). "Because you're putting all your time and energy into this and it doesn't go well...then you look at the schedule and wonder where do we get one? It's there...you just got to play well.''

The drastic turnaround in those final two minutes changed the entire outlook of Tampa Bay's season.

A loss would have been the fourth in a row and dropped the team to 3-6 ahead of a game against the 6-3 Seattle Seahawks. Instead, the Buccaneers are somehow sitting atop a struggling NFC South in a first-place tie with the Atlanta Falcons at 4-5.

Everything is still ahead of Brady and the Buccaneers, who are in Super-Bowl-or-bust mode given the reality that the all-time great is 45 years old and temporarily retired before deciding to come back this offseason.

The upcoming schedule, which Brady alluded to, doesn't do them many favors with games against presumed contenders in the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals in the next five games.

There is also a matchup with the rival New Orleans Saints, who could join Tampa Bay and Atlanta atop the division with a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.

But momentum is now on Tampa Bay's side following the dramatic win, and Brady had an answer even for the creeping doubt he was feeling when trailing against the Rams.