Do Next Gen Stats prove Buccaneers' Tom Brady is finally showing his age?

Much has been made about the struggles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense over the first half of the 2022 NFL season. Cale Clinton of Football Outsiders has suggested quarterback Tom Brady deserves at least some blame for those woes. 

"The Buccaneers' receivers were given enormous cushions in the passing game," Clinton wrote about Tampa Bay's 21-3 loss at the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday that dropped the Buccaneers to 3-4. "Per Next Gen Stats, Mike Evans and Cade Otton were tied for the fourth-biggest average cushion in Week 7 at 8.1 yards, while Chris Godwin came in not far behind at 7.3. Carolina let them work underneath all day. The Buccaneers' passing offense found a ton of success on comeback routes and crossing routes, picking up chunk yardage. On the few shots Tampa Bay actually took downfield, Brady just … missed." 

As the Joe Bucs Fan website pointed out, such takes don't account for Evans dropping what should've been an easy touchdown in the first quarter of the Carolina contest. However, Clinton noted that there are other signs the 45-year-old signal-caller may finally be slowing down. 

"The place where Brady’s age shows the most is on short to intermediate quick passes, the aspects of the game that Brady's offenses were so often centered around in New England and Tampa Bay," Clinton added in his piece. "There's not the same zip on the ball into those tight-window areas, and when those passes are coming up either short, low, or off-time, the mistakes begin to mount." 

Overall numbers seem to indicate Brady is still an above-average player at the sport's most important position. Per ESPN stats, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is currently ninth among eligible quarterbacks with a 92.8 passer rating, 14th with a 53.2 total QBR, sixth with 1,942 passing yards, and tied for seventh with a 66.9% completion percentage this season. However, only four teams are averaging fewer points per game than Tampa Bay (17.7) ahead of its "Thursday Night Football" home matchup versus the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens.

On Tuesday, Brady appeared unsure, at best, that he and his offense can right the ship against Baltimore. Perhaps that's because he realizes that Father Time, a forever-undefeated opponent, is catching up with him this fall.