Tom Brady feels sting of loss as Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall to 3-5

TAMPA, Fla. — Still dressed in full uniform, even after several of his teammates had already departed for the night, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady stared dejectedly at the floor of his locker Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium.

With his arms folded and his face flushed, Brady still very much wore the sting of the Bucs’ 27-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens — their fifth loss in the past six games — which dropped him to 3-5 as a starter for the first time in his storied 23-year NFL career.

Backup Blaine Gabbert sat next to him, offering words of comfort, while fellow quarterback Ryan Griffin and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen took turns patting him on the back.

“I know he’s really hard on himself,” right tackle Tristan Wirfs said across from Brady’s locker. “We’re all really hard on ourselves. We’re gonna do our best to get this thing fixed cuz this ain’t a fun feeling right now.”

“Nobody’s pointing the finger at Tom Brady,” wide receiver Mike Evans said. “It’s a whole team. A team game. The ultimate team game. It’s not just one player. It never has been.”

Moments later, Brady took the podium.

“I don’t think you can erase what happened the last eight weeks,” he said. “We’ve gotta dig deep, see what we’re all about, come to work, try to improve and give ourselves a better chance to win.”

At 45 and in the last year of his contract with the Buccaneers, this could be his last NFL season, having already retired once for 40 days this offseason. It’s a reality his teammates are all very much aware of, making the Bucs’ rash of losses in 2022 devastating.

“I hope he plays as long as he can,” Wirfs said. “I’d love to play with him forever. I love Tom. I wish everything was going as perfect as possible for him, if it is the last year for him, or whatever. We’re just trying to ball, and it’s frustrating when stuff’s not working and you don’t have the answer in front of you.”

Evans added, “He’s the best to ever do it. I mean, he hates losing. That’s…