Tom Brady said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "struggled on everything" in Thursday's 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, with the quarterback now on his first three-game losing streak since 2002.

The Bucs' miserable run of form continued as the Ravens clicked into gear after only scoring three points in the first half, with Lamar Jackson throwing two touchdowns after the interval.

Neither quarterback committed a turnover as Brady completed 26 of his 44 passes for 325 yards and one touchdown, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion is now enduring his worst losing run in 20 years.

The Bucs have slumped to a 3-5 record after opening the season with two wins, and Brady says they are simply not meeting their own standards.

"We just didn't play well enough to win, so give them credit. They played good, certainly better than we did," Brady said.

"We just came up short, I don't think it feels good, whether [you're ahead in the] first half or second half. We just have to play better, certainly on offense.

"I think we've struggled pretty much on everything. We struggled in the red zone, on third down, during the run game. It's just not very good offense football."

Having lost five of their last six games to fall below the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, the Bucs now have a 10-day break before they face the Los Angeles Rams, and Brady knows the importance of a response.

"I don't think anyone feels good. We've lost five, so it's not where we want to be, but we haven't earned it," he added. "We've got to go earn it, fight hard and figure out how to win games.

"Whenever we play, we play. We've got to win, break or no break. We're all just frustrated we're not getting the job done.

"We're playing to win and losing is no fun for any of us, we're just coming up short."

The Bucs' injury problems continued to mount when outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett suffered a suspected torn Achilles in the third quarter, and Brady cannot wait for the team to return to something approaching full strength.

"Shaq's a great player for us, I hope he's okay," Brady said. "We need to get some guys back, get a little healthier, and see if we can perform a bit better."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles admitted "it doesn't look good" for Shaquil Barrett after he suffered a suspected torn Achilles in the team's 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The outside linebacker was injured during a Ravens running play in the third quarter on Thursday, and reports have suggested his season could be over after initial examinations.

Speaking after the Bucs suffered a fifth loss in their last six games, Bowles said of Barrett: "He has an Achilles right now, so we'll wait for the MRI, but it doesn't look good."

Any significant absence for the two-time Pro Bowler would represent a considerable blow for the Bucs, who were already coping with several injuries ahead of Thursday's game.

Barrett has led the team for sacks in two of the last three seasons, and has recorded eight sacks and 43 tackles in his eight starts this campaign.

With Tampa Bay slumping to a 3-5 record despite winning their first two games of the season, Bowles acknowledges things are "dark" for his team, but he remains confident they can change their fortunes.

"It's still dark; until you win ball games consistently and play for four quarters consistently it's going to be dark," he said.

"That doesn't mean we can't get out of it, we just have a lot of work to do as coaches and as players."

The Ravens looked to have suffered an injury blow of their own when tight end Mark Andrews was ruled out with a shoulder injury in the second quarter, while wide receiver Rashod Bateman also exited with a foot problem.

However, head coach John Harbaugh played down any concerns over the duo after the win, saying: "They are not serious.

"Rashod was a tweak of what he had before, and Mark is not a serious long-term injury."

The Baltimore Ravens' offense clicked into gear in the second half of their 27-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night after only mustering three points in the first two quarters.

Baltimore grabbed an early lead just four minutes into the action, with their punt on the opening drive of the game bouncing off the chest of Buccaneers returner Dee Delaney to gift the Ravens a redzone opportunity.

The Buccaneers defense held, forcing a Justin Tucker field goal, and they took the lead just five minutes later when Leonard Fournette punched in a one-yard touchdown run to cap off a 75-yard drive.

A Tampa Bay field goal would give them a 10-3 lead at halftime, but the Baltimore offense would figure things out in the second half as a five-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Kenyan Drake tied the contest at 10-10.

After forcing a Buccaneers punt, the Ravens made it two touchdown drives in a row as Jackson was flushed out of the pocket and found rookie tight end Isaiah Likely along the back of the endzone in tight coverage.

They then made it three touchdown drives in a row when receiver Devin Duvernay was able to convert a third-and-one into a 15-yard touchdown run on a jet-sweep, widening the Ravens' lead to 24-13 with under seven minutes to play.

Tom Brady was able to lead the Buccaneers back into the redzone twice, and was rewarded with a consolation eight-yard touchdown pass to the returning Julio Jones with under a minute on the clock.

Neither quarterback ended up committing a turnover as Jackson completed 27 of his 38 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady was 26-of-44 for 325 yards and one score.

After star Ravens tight end Mark Andrews left with an injury, Likely led the Ravens in catches (six) and receiving yards (77), while Mike Evans caught six balls for 123 yards to lead the Buccaneers.

For a second straight week, an unexpected road loss and a struggling offense has Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers searching for answers.

The preseason NFC South favourites dropped to 3-4 following Sunday’s 21-3 defeat to a Carolina Panthers team that was starting a third-string quarterback, while being led by an interim head coach.

The Brady-led offence failed to produce a touchdown one week after not reaching the end zone until late in the fourth quarter of a 20-18 loss to the-then 1-4 Pittsburgh Steelers.

"It’s still there," said Brady of Tampa Bay’s need to self-evaluate. "We talked about execution the other day and it still comes up. I think we all just need to do our job better.

"There’s no easy way about it. They’re trying to keep us from doing our job, we’re trying to do it, and they’re doing a better job than we are. Anytime you score three points, that pretty much sums it up."

Though the Bucs still reside in a first-place tie in what’s been a weak NFC South thus far, they’ve now lost four of their past five games to place Brady in a spot he’s rarely been in during his storied 23-year career. The future Hall of Fame quarterback hasn’t been under .500 seven games into the season since the 2002 New England Patriots started 3-4, and he’s never had a losing record at any time after eight games.

"We’re not playing well," head coach Todd Bowles admitted. "We’re not playing well as individuals, we’re not playing well as a team, we’re not coaching it well. All the way around – we’re not scoring enough on offence and we’re not stopping them enough on defence.

"We have to wear this on our sleeve. They’ve got to be grown men. We’re going to see what we’re made of, (see) how many people can handle adversity, and this is about as dark as it’s going be right now."

While a defence that’s now gone three straight games without forcing a turnover and surrendered 173 rushing yards to the Panthers has played in a role in Tampa Bay’s tough stretch, much of the focus has been centred around the offence’s continued problems to consistently generate points. The Bucs were held under 20 points for the fourth time this season in Sunday’s loss; they scored fewer than 20 only three times while going 13-4 and earning the NFC’s second seed in 2021.

"We’re plenty capable of making plays, we’re just not making them consistently enough to score points," said Brady, who’s averaged a mere 6.0 yards per pass attempt during the current two-game losing streak. "We make a big play, make a bad play, make a big play, make a bad play. In football that’s just not good enough.

"You can’t play like that. You’ve got to string enough good plays together to get the ball into the red area and score points."

With a Thursday night home game against Baltimore next on the schedule, the Buccaneers will have a short time to try to find solutions to their current problems.

"We’re going to see what we have going forward," said Bowles. "See how many crumble in the dark and see how many people step up and start playing better, and start coaching better."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' dismal season plumbed new depths as they remarkably lost 21-3 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Tom Brady's Bucs had slipped to 3-3 with last week's unexpected defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team now have a losing record for the first time since the legendary quarterback lost his 2020 debut. Only in 2002, when he missed the playoffs, had Brady previously had a losing record at the end of Week 7.

This reverse was perhaps even more surprising than the Steelers upset, as P.J. Walker, Carolina's third-choice QB, led a Panthers team who had traded away star running back Christian McCaffrey this week.

Following that trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Wilks, the interim head coach since Matt Rhule's October 10 firing, insisted: "There's no such thing as tanking when it comes to myself and the guys in that locker room."

The Panthers backed up that statement by dominating Brady and the Bucs, who were held to three points or fewer for the third time in their three seasons together. A Brady offense had three points or fewer only twice in his entire New England Patriots career.

The Bucs were scoreless through three quarters, in which time Carolina scored two touchdowns – Walker with a 20-yard completion to DJ Moore, before Chuba Hubbard, with just six carries through six weeks alongside McCaffrey, ran in from 17 yards.

Ryan Succop's field goal at the start of the fourth quarter was not to set the stage for a dramatic turnaround, as Walker's 29-yard pass to Tommy Tremble completed the job.

Rodgers also loses once more

Brady's fellow veteran Aaron Rodgers also dropped to 3-4 as the Green Bay Packers lost for the third week running, beaten 23-21 by the Washington Commanders.

The Packers have suffered three straight defeats for the first time since 2018, with Rodgers unable to rally late on after a first half in which he had only 47 passing yards – his second-lowest career mark after 15 or more attempts before halftime.

Dak back but defense dominates

Dak Prescott returned from injury as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions 24-6, although the victory owed more to running back Ezekiel Elliott and the team's defense than their QB. Prescott threw for 207 yards and a TD, as Elliott ran in for a pair of scores while Jared Goff was sacked five times and picked off twice.

Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' QB, was far more influential as he threw for 481 yards and three TDs in a 35-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. That yardage ranks third in a regular season Bengals game all-time, although the 525-yard record already belongs to Burrow (v Ravens, 2021).

The Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry enjoyed a record-setting performance in victory over AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 128 yards. He has 1287 career rushing yards versus the Colts, the most of any Titan against any one team.

Tom Brady is cutting the same frustrated figure he did in his final season with the New England Patriots, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is still not ruling out a Super Bowl run in case "Tom becomes Tom again in the playoffs".

Brady briefly retired in the offseason, only to soon reverse that decision and return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But the legendary quarterback then missed time in the preseason and has struggled so far in the 2022 season, with the Bucs falling to 3-3 with Sunday's shock defeat to the lowly Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Tampa Bay offense that ranked seventh and second in Brady's first two years with the team is now down in 21st.

The 45-year-old is moving the ball only 6.7 yards per passing attempt. He has only dipped below that mark once since 2002, throwing for 6.6 yards per attempt in 2019 before leaving the Patriots.

Former Bucs QB Fitzpatrick is concerned, although he is not writing off a record-extending eighth Super Bowl success.

"I think I've seen this from him before," Fitzpatrick told The Bill Simmons Podcast on The Ringer.

"His last year in New England, it was another example of a year where there was so much visible frustration from him.

"He was exasperated all the time by his team-mates and play-calling, and you could visibly see him upset more than usual on the field and the sideline. That's what this year feels like a little bit.

"That being said, I've played for Todd Bowles in New York. First of all, his defensive scheme is great, it's tough to go against, he's very aggressive. That trickles down to the team.

"I think they won some games early because of the defense, and they haven't performed so well of late.

"I still see the Bucs as a team that is going to sleepwalk their way to 10-7, make the playoffs, and then hopefully it all comes together because maybe then Tom becomes Tom again in the playoffs. That's just what this season feels like right now, for me."

Brady is in his 23rd season in the NFL, and Fitzpatrick has been in awe of his focus up to this point.

"That's always been the amazing thing about him when I watch him," he added. "Even though it's been so long, he's so locked in all the time.

"Whether it's been an inferior opponent or a big game on Sunday, Monday night, Thursday night, he was always so locked in.

"I'm just missing that a little bit when I watch him this year."

Todd Bowles said any players "living off the Super Bowl are living in fantasy land" while Tom Brady told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to "look in the mirror" after Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers had lost four straight games and were playing with a rookie quarterback in the form of Kenny Pickett but still earned a 20-18 win at Heinz Field.

For the Bucs it was a case of profligacy, with Tampa Bay scoring only once from four trips to the red zone. That was despite the Steelers lining up without three stop corners (Cam Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace), outside linebacker T.J. Watt, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Bucs were Super Bowl victors in the 2020 season before losing in the Divisional Round last year but head coach Bowles said some home truths after defeat in Pittsburgh.

"We didn't take them lightly, number one. Number two, I think guys that are living off the Super Bowl are living in a fantasy land," he said. 

"You've gotta get your hands dirty and go to work like everybody else. We've been working hard and we've gotta work harder. Nobody's gonna give us anything. Nobody's gonna feel sorry. 

"We've gotta go back as coaches, as players - the time for talking is over. You either gotta put up or shut up."

Asked for clarity on if anyone in the playing or coaching staff are living in "fantasy land", Bowles replied: "I didn't say we were. I'm just saying, you get patted on the back so much, you gotta relive -every year and every week, you've gotta go out there and earn your pay and earn your keep. 

"If you don't live like that, it's gonna be a result like today."

The loss saw a 12-game win streak against rookies snapped for Brady, who also failed to convert off a sneak for the first time as a Buccaneer at third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, having done so on 13 previous occasions.

"We didn't earn it," Brady said. "We didn't earn the win. It's a game of earning it and it's a game of playing well and performing well and we're just not doing a good job of that. 

"I don't think we've done it for six weeks. I think we're all playing less than what we're capable of. We've all gotta look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why."

The Bucs remain top of the NFC South with a 3-3 record through six games.

Kenny Pickett could not finish his second NFL start after going into concussion protocol, but the Pittsburgh Steelers ensured their quarterback could celebrate an unlikely first win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pickett – the first QB off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft – started for the first time in last week's big defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

But the rookie bounced back in some style against Tom Brady, securing a narrow lead before exiting the game midway through the third quarter. The Steelers protected that advantage to win 20-18.

Pickett had thrown his first career touchdown pass to Najee Harris on Pittsburgh's first drive.

A sloppy end to the first half allowed the Bucs to close the gap, but they headed in at halftime without having scored a TD – a first for a Brady team against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh lifted their game again following the restart, trading field goals before a hit on Pickett saw him leave the game, and was then ruled out.

Mitch Trubisky picked up the baton, though, connecting with Chase Claypool for another TD before Brady and Leonard Fournette belatedly responded.

A successful two-point conversion would have tied the game with time left for the Bucs to win it, but Brady's attempt was batted away, and Trubisky saw out only a second Steelers win of the year.

Another New York defeat for Packers on return to Lambeau

The Green Bay Packers gave up a home game to play in London for the first time in franchise history last week, losing to the New York Giants. And a return to Lambeau Field did little to lift Aaron Rodgers and Co., who fell to 3-3 with a 27-10 home loss to the New York Jets.

In fact, the Packers crowd appeared to turn on their team when a blocked punt gifted the Jets – now 3-0 on the road to start a season for the first time since 2010 – a two-TD lead their opponents could not recover from.

The Giants built on their upset of the Packers by doing the same to the Baltimore Ravens. They had trailed Green Bay 20-10 at halftime in Week 5 and were this time down by the same score in the fourth quarter, recovering for a 24-20 win to move to 5-1.

The Atlanta Falcons lost in Week 5 but also had momentum to carry into a matchup with the San Francisco 49ers after a 15-point fourth quarter against the Bucs. Following five straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the Falcons coasted to a 28-14 success.

Ryan extends Jags' miserable road run in AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won a road game against an AFC South rival since 2017, a losing sequence of 13 games heading into Sunday's trip to the Indianapolis Colts.

It appeared as though Trevor Lawrence was to lead the Jags to a long-awaited win when the Colts trailed by a point at the Jacksonville 33 with just 23 seconds to play.

But Matt Ryan, having earlier passed Dan Marino (61,361) to climb to seventh all-time for passing yards, completed a pivotal TD pass to Alec Pierce to prolong the Jags' misery.

Sometimes in fantasy football, there's one game that proves a bonanza for managers who invested in players from the teams involved.

Anyone who had Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Derek Carr or Davante Adams in their lineup for Monday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders can attest to that.

A week earlier, those who happened to go with players from the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions were likely celebrating wildly as they shared 93 points in a remarkable shootout.

Forecasting such games can be difficult, but the Seahawks could be involved in another this weekend, and their Week 6 matchup features heavily in Stats Perform's fantasy picks.

Quarterback: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals' offense has been an extremely difficult watch so far in 2022, but a trip to Seattle to face the Seahawks represents an extremely favourable matchup.

Only the Detroit Lions (170) have allowed more points than the Seahawks (154) through five games, while Seattle's defense has given up a league-high 8.17 yards per pass play.

Murray has just one 300-yard passing game so far this year, but that seems almost certain to change against an opponent as porous as the Seahawks.

Running Back: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns

Over the last three games, Stevenson has racked up 300 yards at an average of 5.88 yards per carry.

Ten of his carries in that time have gone for 10 yards or more. Only Nick Chubb of the Browns (13) has produced more such rushes in that time.

Stevenson and Chubb will both look to make an impact when the Patriots visit Cleveland and the former will be extremely confident going against a Browns defense that struggles to stop anybody on the ground, allowing 5.32 yards per rush.

Simply put, if you have Stevenson on your fantasy roster, you're starting him.

Wide Receiver: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals

Let's return to the NFC West matchup in the Pacific Northwest, in which there is little reason not to expect the Seahawks to put up points given they have scored 80 in their last two games and face another vulnerable defense here.

The Cardinals held the high-flying Eagles to 20 points but have allowed 6.86 yards per pass play, the eighth-most in the NFL.

Since Week 2, Lockett has 378 receiving yards, fewer than only four other players in that time. With Geno Smith delivering a well-thrown ball on 86.8 per cent of pass attempts, the second-best rate among quarterbacks with at least 100, the Seahawks going against Arizona's defense is a recipe for another big day for Lockett.

Tight End: Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers

The Rams' offense is struggling, and the Panthers' defense is unquestionably the best aspect of their team. So, on the surface, picking out a Rams offensive player not named Cooper Kupp may seem a bemusing move.

But Higbee has been targeted 24 times over the course of the Rams' heavy defeats to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the last two weeks, and he has caught 17 of those passes.

He is a considerable safety net for Matthew Stafford, who is again likely to face a heavy pass rush in this encounter. Going against a 1-4 Panthers team going across the country having just had their head coach fired, the opportunities Higbee will receive should make a valuable fantasy performance, especially in points per reception leagues.

Defense/Special Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Buccaneers' hugely impressive defense, which has allowed the fourth-fewest yards per play (4.7) in the league, should feast on a lowly Steelers team that managed only three points last week in Buffalo.

Pittsburgh's rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has four interceptions in just six quarters of play this season. The Buccaneers have forced nine turnovers, the fifth-most in the NFL. It's an easy decision to start Tampa's defense.

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett remains "clueless" regarding the controversial roughing the passer call which followed his hit on Tom Brady on Sunday.

Brady equalled the NFL record for most victories by a quarterback against a specific opponent without defeat (11) as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 21-15 win over the Falcons.

However, Atlanta looked set to get a chance to complete a memorable comeback when Jarrett sacked Brady on third down with three minutes remaining.

But referee Jerome Boger called roughing the passer against the 29-year-old, later explaining the decision was made due to Jarrett unnecessarily throwing Brady to the ground.

The call has been met with controversy, with subsequent reports suggesting the NFL's competition committee will discuss amendments to roughing penalties after this season.

Jarrett is yet to come to terms with the decision two days later, saying: "Looking back on it, I'm still kind of left clueless on what I'm expected to do in that situation."

Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones was on the receiving end of a similar call against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, leading Jarrett to call for change.

"I did see Chris' sack last night, and that was questionable as well," Jarrett said. "All these other things that we can review… I'm not saying that it cost us the game, but it cost us an opportunity to win the game.

"If it's costing people games, it's going to cost people livelihoods. It's going to cost people opportunities. You never know who is going to go down and make a crazy play.

"Obviously this happened to us, the Falcons, but forget all that, it's about the sport. When people watch us to be entertained, to see some game-winning drives and then when you do it right, the right way, that's what makes it so frustrating.

"So let's give the game what the game is owed, and that's the best product we can put on the field."

Speaking on SiriusXM's Let's Go! Podcast on Monday, Brady described the incident as an "unwelcome hug" from Garrett and steered clear of discussing the decision.

"It was a long hug, a long unwelcome hug from Grady," Brady said. "And he was in the backfield all day. So as I said after the games, I don't throw flags.

"What I do throw is tablets, and I didn't have one accessible at that time. He had a hell of a game. I'll leave it at that.

"I woke up this morning, I was looking around the corner everywhere for Grady Jarrett jumping out and hitting me again.

"He played such a good game against us yesterday and I had nightmares last night thinking about him. But I'm glad we're through with that game. I'm glad we won."

Tom Brady denied having any influence over a controversial roughing the passer penalty that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seal a narrow Week 5 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons looked set to get a chance to complete a memorable comeback against Tampa Bay when Grady Jarrett sacked Brady on third down with three minutes remaining.

However, after a conversation, referee Jerome Boger called roughing the passer against defensive tackle Jarrett, giving the Bucs a free 15 yards and a new set of downs, allowing Tampa Bay to ice a 21-15 win.

In a pool report Boger said he called the penalty due to Jarrett unnecessarily throwing Brady to the ground.

Asked in his post-game media conference if he had lobbied at any point in the game for roughing calls, Brady offered a blunt response.

"I don't throw flags," said Brady.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles, for his part, felt the penalty was influenced by the controversy surrounding Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins quarterback who was concussed in the Week 4 game with the Cincinnati Bengals when he was tossed to the ground by Josh Tupou.

Boger also made a similar call on a hit on Josh Allen that helped the Buffalo Bills beat the Baltimore Ravens three days later.

"I saw that one being called. I saw it against Tua when he got hit, and in the London game [Packers v Giants]," Bowles said.

"I think they are starting to crack down on some of the things, slinging backs. I don’t know.

"Right now, the way they are calling [it], I think a lot of people would’ve gotten that call.”

The Bucs' win snapped a two-game losing streak and moved them to 3-2, though a team many expected to contend to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl has yet to really deliver a convincing performance.

"Obviously, it's tough to lose two straight at home. You have to earn it in the league. There are no easy games, you've got to play good," Brady added.

"Five games in and we've got a lot of work to do. We're not nearly at the point of where we're capable of being."

Up next for the Bucs is a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tom Brady called on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve after he equalled an NFL record by moving to 11-0 in his career meetings with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Brady shook off a shoulder injury to help the Bucs to go 3-2 for the season with a 21-15 home win over their NFC South rivals, cutting a two-game losing streak.  

The 45-year-old's 11th straight win against Atlanta saw him equal the record for most wins by a quarterback without losing against a single NFL opponent, matching John Elway's 11-0 return against the New England Patriots and Andrew Luck's perfect record against the Tennessee Titans.

Speaking after the win, however, Brady said he was simply focused on halting the Bucs' alarming slide following recent defeats to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

"Yeah, it's obviously tough to lose straight at home, right? And we didn't deserve it, but that's football, you've got to earn it," Brady said.

"There's no easy games, you've got to play good. Certainly, five games in, we've got a lot of work to do.

"We need a lot of people to step up. We've got to get people out there, healthy, playing consistently, we've got to keep practicing, make the corrections and continue to improve."

Brady threw 52 passes throughout Sunday's game, completing 35 for 351 yards and a touchdown.

However, the Bucs were pegged back after storming into a 21-0 lead, and Brady acknowledged they failed to maintain their standards in the second half, adding: "We just had a lot of three and outs, we just weren't very good. 

"Bad execution and it wasn't our best in the second half. We've got to learn from it and get better."

Brady was aided by a questionable roughing the passer call against Atlanta's Grady Jarrett late on, when a third-down sack would have given Atlanta the ball with a chance to steal victory late on.

But the Bucs star was unwilling to get involved in debates surrounding the controversial call, simply stating: "I don't throw the flags."

The Atlanta Falcons will be without second-year tight end Kyle Pitts when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead on Sunday.  

The Falcons ruled Pitts out with a hamstring injury after he was held out of practice all week.  

Parker Hesse and Anthony Firkser could see more snaps at tight end, but neither option provides the vertical threat of Pitts, who was drafted fourth overall out of Florida in 2021.  

Pitts' absence is another blow for an Atlanta offense that is already missing starting running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who is out at least four games after undergoing a minor knee procedure.  

Pitts' role in the offense so far this season has been a point of contention for some Falcons fans. The 6ft 6in tight end has just 10 catches for 150 yards through four games, although he has been targeted 22 times.  

The Falcons dropped the first two games of the season but bounced back by beating the Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns the past two weeks. The Buccaneers are also 2-2, coming off losses to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.  

Tom Brady is not short of NFL records, but he has passed himself fit to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and potentially claim a share of another piece of history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brady was held out of practice on Wednesday due to a shoulder complaint, having taken a hit in the Week 4 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the 45-year-old said on Thursday of his shoulder: "It feels great. I'll be there Sunday."

Brady was never likely to miss a matchup with NFC South rivals Atlanta, who the Buccaneers have a 4-0 record against since signing the legendary QB.

The Falcons and the Bucs are tied in the standings at 2-2 this year, but Brady is 10-0 all-time against Atlanta.

This includes his remarkable Super Bowl LI win while with the New England Patriots and puts him one shy of the Super Bowl era record for the most wins by a QB against a single team without losing.

Should Brady guide the Bucs to another victory on Sunday, he will match John Elway's 11-0 return against the Patriots and Andrew Luck's perfect record against the Tennessee Titans.

Brady would then have the opportunity to own the record outright later in the season, as the Bucs play the Falcons again in Week 18.

Tom Brady did not take part in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice on Wednesday as the 45-year-old quarterback deals with nagging injuries to his right shoulder and finger.

Brady acknowledged he played through some shoulder soreness during the Buccaneers' 41-31 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday when speaking on his weekly radio show on SiriusXM. The seven-time Super Bowl champion appeared to be in a bit of discomfort after taking a hit on a second-quarter sack that resulted in a fumble the Chiefs recovered.

"My shoulder's doing OK," Brady said on Monday’s Let's Go! broadcast. "You know, just some bumps and bruises, and I kind of took a hit there on it. Got some treatment [Monday].

"This week will be very similar to a lot of the other ones, just getting on the mend, getting back to practice and trying to improve and be ready to go for next week."

Brady was listed on last week's injury report with the finger issue, which is considered minor and did not prevent him from practising in full. The three-time NFL MVP threw for a season-high 385 yards and three touchdowns while completing 39 of 52 passes against Kansas City.

NFL.com reported in September that the Buccaneers were planning on having Brady take Wednesday practices off throughout the season in an effort to reduce wear and tear on his body during his 23rd NFL campaign.

Brady is still expected to make his 323rd career regular-season start when the Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.