The Buccaneers look like their own worst enemy after the loss to the Packers

TAMPA - For a moment Sunday afternoon, everything looked normal again. Tom Brady threw a dart that cut between two defenders to find Russell Gage in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. This was the G.O.A.T. The biggest Buccaneers game in Raymond James Stadium history came for the crowd, which was limited all day by mistakes, penalties and the Green Bay defense. But with 18 seconds left, it set up a classic Brady finish. All it took was a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime.

And then the Bucs couldn't be set. They drew a delay of game penalty and another pass to Gage was incomplete.

Metaphorically, the failure to get sets, the lack of execution, the story of the offense — which has managed just three touchdowns in three games this season. But that was literally the problem here, the Bucs' 14-12 loss to the Packers, and it wasn't a surprise. An offense that was down two of its primary targets and it grabbed a third weapon and it signed a player off the street early last week and promoted him from the practice squad in the morning and then threw his second pass of the day -- that offense is probably this It wouldn't be the smoothest operation in the heat of the moment, even if Brady gives up his veteran day off to take every rep in practice this week.

"We're not running as well as we're good at, the passing game wasn't very good," Brady said with a tired-looking smile.

The image of the day was Brady ducking under a potential sack and running -- not exactly sprinting -- for 18 yards late in the third quarter, breaking his knee brace when he slipped. He later said he saw plenty of green grass in front of him, but what he didn't see was the holding penalty behind him that completely wiped out the play. The drive ended with a punt instead of continuing with the Bucs near midfield.

Brady joked that's usually not a good thing. But it was more than that, symbolic of how much potential the Bucs had despite the absence, how often they made it hard on themselves. The Bucs' defense was excellent, shutting out Aaron Rodgers in the second half. They allowed just two touchdowns on the day to the Packers, forced two turnovers, including a fumble as the Packers were going for a touchdown, and the Bucs couldn't capitalize.

"We didn't need to have those guys to win this ballgame," said a visibly disappointed coach Todd Bowles. "We had to play smarter. We had a chance to win this game. We shot ourselves in the foot. The way we shot ourselves had nothing to do with talent."

Bowles was so upset that when asked about Gage's performance -- he caught 12 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown -- he replied that any time a player gets concussed, it takes away everything he's good at.

The truth is that everything seems almost too difficult for the Packers, who are not complete and are not running smoothly. Aaron Jones fumbled near the goal line in the second quarter and the Packers almost completely abandoned the run after that. Rodgers mostly settled for short passes, completing 27 for 255 yards. The expected aerial fireworks that made this game so interesting when the schedule was announced, absences and inexperience cloud these teams right now.

The Bucs and Packers remain the two best teams in the NFC -- they're each 2-1 and definitely Super Bowl contenders. And for the Bucs, who entered the game with a very un-Brady like 18th ranked scoring offense, time will heal most of their wounds. Mike Evans will return from suspension, Bowles said Julio Jones could play this week and will likely return next Sunday when the Bucs face the Kansas City Chiefs, Chris Godwin will likely return eventually and Beasley will certainly get more than three days. experience of crime.

Most importantly, the defense is intact and Brady certainly hasn't come out of retirement and opened himself up to rampant speculation about everything from his weight to his marriage to have a season like this. He, as much as anyone in the NFL, sets the standard for the entire Bucs operation and, if the fate of those poor tablets last week is any indication, he'll demand -- perhaps more angrily than he shows in press conferences -- improvement. .

Brady, in fact, looked more tired than angry Sunday, which can't be said of Bowles. He was careful not to overpraise his defense at the expense of the offense, saying the Bucs won and lost as a team.

"We can be tough and we can fight but that's not going to win us games," he said. "We have to be clear."

A hurricane is threatening to hit Florida later this week, and Bowles was asked about what preparations the team had made. Bowles said there have been a few conversations. More to come of course. After all, the Bucs are already in the middle of a storm of their own creation.