Tom Brady doesn't make these kinds of mistakes. Tom Brady doesn't carelessly toss the chance to take a fourth-quarter lead into the hands of a defender. Other quarterbacks crumble when facing the New England Patriots. That's not Tom Brady.
But TB12 did on Sunday.
With the Patriots trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14-10, midway through the fourth quarter, Brady got pressured, began to bail then heaved a prayer toward the general direction of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The heave was intercepted by Steelers corner Joe Haden.
After the 17-10 loss, Brady said he was trying to throw the ball away.
"I was trying to throw the ball away, and I didn't," he said, via NESN. "... I was just trying to flick it out of bounds. I didn't want to take the sack. It shouldn't happen."
It's the second straight week that Brady has bumbled a red-zone situation. In the miraculous loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, the 41-year-old quarterback lost track of how many timeouts he had and took a sack late in the first half. Not throwing the ball away near the goal line cost the Patriots a crucial three points.
The mistake, coupled with 14 Patriots penalties, could cost New England a first-round bye.
"We just didn't get the job done," Brady said. "We have to figure out a way to do better. (We have) two important ones coming up. They won't be easy, so we have to grind out. Tough loss."
