Tom Brady's season-long frustration continued in Sunday night's 28-22 loss in Houston, during which the New England Patriots quarterback was visibly irritated on multiple occasions and vocally exhorted teammates on the sideline.
The relationship with a young and new receiving corps has been a problem all season, with Brady earning his third straight game with a completion percentage of below 60 and a passer rating of below 90.0 in four straight. TB12's 6.7 pass yards per attempt through 12 games is his lowest in a season since 2002, and his 1.5 TD passes per tilt are the fewest since 2006.
Joining WEEI's The Greg Hill Show for his weekly Monday spot, Brady noted that even though this season has been particularly challenging with all the new and moving parts, it remains a process, as always, and defended his receivers.
"I think everyone's working hard and we're trying to do the right thing," he said. "There's some good effort out there, guys are doing the best they can do, in my belief. We're working hard and trying to do the right thing. Sometimes it's been good and other times we obviously have work we still got to do. That's just part of playing football."
The key for Brady during the final four weeks of the regular season is to find any semblance of consistency in the passing game before the playoffs arrive.
"We have to figure out how to be more consistent," he said. "We're learning as we go."
Brady noted the obvious: Despite the consternation regarding the dynastic Patriots, the world is not imploding.
"We're not 2-10. We're 10-2," he said.
And yet Brady knows his offense isn't playing at a level consummate with that record. The Pats have been dragged to 10-2 by the defense and special teams. Brady went so far as to seemingly suggest a recalibration of expectations for the offense.
"I think the expectations for our team often are at a very, very, very high level and I understand that, but at the same time I think there are realistic expectations with our circumstances incorporating different elements and players and injuries," he said.
The Patriots lost the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and with a battle against the Kansas City Chiefs on tap next week, they could be in danger of falling further back if the offense continues to struggle to find its gear.
