Tom Brady's immediate reaction to the picked-up flag on the final play of the New England Patriots' thrilling 24-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers was an expletive-filled plea for an explanation.
Brady was more cerebral later with the media when discussing the final play, even taking blame for his underthrow.
"I didn't really want to throw it over his head and out of bounds, so I was a little indecisive." he said. "It wasn't a great throw. No excuses. It should have been a better throw."
Brady might take the blame, but the refs will take the heat.
"No excuses" was the Patriots' motto following the loss.
"We don't make excuses," Rob Gronkowski said about the non-call on the final play, per the Boston Herald. "I'm not trying to sit here and make an excuse that he held me at the end of the game. The game is four quarters long. It's won throughout all four quarters, not just the last play of the game. We've just got to keep working hard, keep sticking together and keep on fighting."
Brady was darn near surgical Monday night for the second week in a row, missing just three of his first 28 throws. Still, in a game with a palpable playoff feel, the Patriots made more mistakes, including a Stevan Ridley fumble and settling for a late field goal after missing on third-and-1.
However, it will be the final play that will get the most attention.
"I wish it wouldn't have come down to that," Brady said. "I think there are plenty of plays we could have made. But it did, and they are going to make a call or they are not going to make a call. We can play better than that."
- We recapped every Week 11 game on the latest "Around The League Podcast." *
