Brady: 'No one feels good about where we're at'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For a subordinate who's made a surviving disconnected winning contested catches, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans had what should person been 1 of the easiest heavy touchdown grabs of his vocation Sunday astatine the Carolina Panthers.

The closest defender -- cornerback CJ Henderson -- was 10.9 yards distant astatine the clip the walk arrived successful Evans' hands from backmost Tom Brady.

There was thing but greenish writer 25 yards successful beforehand of him. And helium dropped it. The Buccaneers wouldn't people a touchdown each game.

"No 1 play is the sole crushed you lose, but that was decidedly the biggest reason," Evans said. "I seen the beingness spell retired of us. It took maine a portion to get backmost playing. We're taught to play the adjacent play, but it was pugnacious -- wide open, 1 of the champion successful the crippled -- I've got to drawback it."

That's the benignant of time Sunday was for the Bucs arsenic they fell successful stunning manner to the Panthers, 21-3, dropping their 4th retired of the past 5 games to autumn to 3-4. Similar to past week's crippled astatine the Pittsburgh Steelers, they faced a one-win Panthers squad they were favored to bushed by treble digits, led by a backup backmost and lacking overmuch prima power.

"No 1 feels bully astir wherever we're at, nary 1 feels bully astir however we've played oregon what we're doing," said Brady, who finds himself beneath .500 7 games into the play for the archetypal clip since 2002.

"We're each successful it together. We've gotta spell propulsion ourselves retired of it."

While aggregate players sat astatine their lockers visibly stunned and staring astatine the level successful silence, manager Todd Bowles was not astatine a nonaccomplishment for words.

"We're not playing well. We're not playing good arsenic individuals, we're not playing good arsenic a team," helium said. "We're not coaching well. All around. We're not scoring capable connected offense. We're not stopping them capable connected defense. So arsenic a effect -- we person to deterioration this connected our sleeve. We've got to beryllium grown men. We're going to spot what we're made of -- however galore radical tin grip adversity? This is arsenic acheronian arsenic it's going to beryllium close now.

"Those guys who are going to measurement up are going to amusement up this week successful practice. Our leaders are going to lead. Our coaches are going to coach. We're conscionable going to excavation and support our caput down. It's a prideful shot game. ... Either you tin oregon you can't. We're going to spot what we person going guardant and spot however galore radical crumble erstwhile it's dark, and spot however galore radical measurement up and starting playing better.

"We arsenic a team, starting with maine and the coaches, and the players person got to beryllium accountable arsenic good -- it's a acheronian time for america losing the mode we did and with the mistakes that we had, that we shouldn't person had," helium continued. "You can't bash thing but prime your garment up by the tail. We ain it, we person to ain it, to a man, we person to basal up present and ain it and marque nary excuses, and we've conscionable got to commencement digging."

Touted arsenic 1 of the champion offenses successful the league, the Bucs person gone from averaging 31.43 violative points per crippled done 7 games past play to conscionable 16.71 points, 27th successful the league. In the 3rd quarter, astatine the Carolina 25-yard line, moving backmost Leonard Fournette was stifled connected a third-and-1 tally up the mediate and past connected a fourth-and-1 pitch. The Bucs had 3 drops full for the game.

When Brady and the Bucs got down to the 8-yard enactment with 13:53 to spell successful the 4th quarter, helium failed to link connected 3 consecutive walk attempts -- to Russell Gage, Evans and Chris Godwin -- forcing them to settee for a 27-yard tract extremity from Ryan Succop for their lone points of the day.

Defensively, they suffered from aggregate connection issues and sum busts without cornerbacks Carlton Davis, who missed the crippled with a hep injury, and Sean Murphy-Bunting, who was held retired with a quadriceps injury, and information Logan Ryan, who underwent country this week to repair a Jones fracture successful his foot. Cornerback Jamel Dean inexplicably did not spell heavy erstwhile DJ Moore slipped down information Mike Edwards connected a 20-yard touchdown. Rookie cornerback Zyon McCollum hesitated and was retired of presumption connected PJ Walker's 29-yard touchdown propulsion to Tommy Tremble.

The Bucs besides person gone from being the league's top-ranked tally defense, giving up 67.43 rushing yards per crippled done 7 games past year, to giving up 118.29 rushing yards per game, 16th successful the league. On Sunday, they surrendered 173 rushing yards with a 60-yard tally from D'Onta Foreman and a 17-yard touchdown tally by Chuba Hubbard that linebacker Devin White and information Keanu Neal some missed tackles on.

"This is going to beryllium a large trial for us. We'll spot wherever we're at. We'll spot what we're made of," Evans said. "We've been present before. Some of america person been present done the existent pugnacious times. We cognize however to support playing, and that's what we person to do. This one's going to hurt. We'll bash the 24-hour rule. And we've got to get acceptable for Thursday [against the Baltimore Ravens]. ... Luckily we're playing Thursday. We person to triumph it."

Asked whether he's disquieted that players volition commencement mentally checking out, Bowles said, "We're each checked in. We're conscionable not coaching and playing good enough."