Tom Brady and the Buccaneers leave cause for concern

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a rough start this season. Heading into Week 5, Brady and Co. are in unfamiliar territory at 2-2.

Tampa Bay won its first two games of the season on the road, against Dallas and New Orleans, before dropping its next two at home, to Green Bay and Kansas City. The Bucs’ next chance to get above .500 comes Sunday vs. Atlanta (1 p.m. ET on FOX), when Brady will look to avoid his first three-game losing streak since 2002.

On Thursday’s “Speak,” Emmanuel Acho shared his concern level for Brady after the Bucs’ uneven start.

“I’m worried about Tom Brady,” Acho said. “Why? Because Tom Brady, what’re you still doing it for? We know what he’s still doing it for. To win a Super Bowl. We know what else he’s still doing it for. To be an MVP. But it does not appear that he is going to have an MVP-caliber season just because of the decimation on the offensive line. … Even a Super Bowl looks far-fetched because of how much better the AFC teams look right now, so what in the world is Tom Brady still doing it for, and more importantly, is he going to achieve what he’s still doing it for?

“I think about the GOATs in any sports. If you overstay your welcome, it never goes as planned.”

In his first season with the Bucs in 2020, Brady got off to a 3-1 start. He threw for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns — good for a 99.4 passer rating — through those first four games.

Once again, Brady got the Bucs off to a 3-1 start the following season in 2021. He threw for 1,356 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to a 100.3 passer rating through the first four games of the season.

This season has been a different story.

Brady has 1,058 passing yards, six scores and a 97.7 passer rating under his belt, the lowest mark in all three of those categories. What’s more, Brady has just 11 big plays (completions of 20-plus yards) this season, compared to 23 through four games last season and 15 in 2020.

Still, Tampa Bay is in first place in the NFC South and will solidify that spot with a win Sunday over the Falcons.

Brady is 10-0 all time against the Falcons, including the postseason, so the Bucs should be able to get back on track as they continue to get healthier and find a rhythm this season.

“2020 made all the sense to retire,” Acho continued. “If [Brady] didn’t wanna retire in 2020, then 2021 — it was all good. … And then [he wants] to come back?

“I’m just worried because it seems as though it might be all for naught, and that just devastates me as a fan of Tom Brady.”

Atlanta Falcons

ATL