The 4-2 New England Patriots are not exactly looking like last year’s Super Bowl-winning team. Quarterback Tom Brady, for one, is struggling at times in the passing game.
For instance, he completed just 52.63 percent of his passes in the team’s 24-17 victory against the New York Jets in Week 6. Acknowledging the issue, Brady had this to say about his poor performance.
“When the throws are there, I have to be able to make them,” Brady said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “It’s disappointing when I don’t. … I wish I hit them all. I’m capable of hitting them all. I need to be able to do that.”
Well, striving for a 100 percent pass-completion rate might be a stretch. But the future Hall of Fame quarterback stands to improve vastly from last week’s inaccuracies.
Brady admitted he really needs to improve on red zone plays.
“Some of these games wouldn’t be as close if I was playing better in the red area,” Brady said. “I think some of those missed opportunities in the pass game with me hitting guys would really help our team. Hopefully I can do a better job for this team.”
Brady completed a mere 20-of-38 passes for 257 yards, two touchdowns and one interception this last game. It marked the second time this season when he failed to pass for at least 300 yards. And the interception was Brady’s second one in as many weeks.
In Week 7, Brady and the Patriots host the Atlanta Falcons, and falling drastically behind like they did in Super Bowl 50 might not cut it this time around.
We will see soon enough if Brady’s mental and physical preparation for this Sunday evening’s game produces the desired results, from his perspective. A win for the Patriots would ensure that they remain in first place in the suddenly competitive AFC East.