Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were supposed to roll over the NFC South, otherwise known as the NFL's weakest division in 2022. Now, they will be in second place at the halfway point of the season.
Tampa Bay lost a third consecutive game with Thursday night's 27-22 home loss to Baltimore. That dropped the Buccaneers to 3-5, or the first time Brady has been two games below .500 in his career as the greatest starting quarterback to ever play in the league.
That also means ahead of the Buccaneers having another tough matchup against the Rams in Week 9, they are now trailing the 4-4 Falcons in the NFC South standings.
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That's because Atlanta (3-4) outlasted Carolina (2-6) in overtime on Sunday. Because the Falcons won that game as home favorites, 37-34, they are up a full game on the Buccaneers despite losing a close game at Tampa Bay in Week 5.
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The Panthers had a great chance to jump into first in a three-way tie at 3-5 with all three wins coming in the division against the Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons. Instead, they fell back into last place behind the Saints, who moved to 3-5 by beating the Raiders to get into third place. New Orleans is back in the division race, having beaten Atlanta in Week 1 but having lost to Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers won Super Bowl 55 after the 2021 season as a second-place wild card behind the Saints and a No. 5 seed. They lost in the divisional playoffs as a powerful, division-winning No. 2 seed last season. It's fair to say Tampa Bay isn't "right where it wants to be" after its latest disappointing defeat.
