Tom Brady looked his age in Packers loss

Tom Brady had a painfully difficult night in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 14-12 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. It's fair to say that the 45-year-old looked every bit his age. Aaron Rodgers was impressive in a game where defenses dominated completely, which wasn’t a huge surprise given the absences on both teams. However, few could have envisaged just how much Brady would struggle.

The Buccaneers quarterback had numbers that actually didn’t look too bad: he threw one touchdown pass and gained a total of 271 yards in the air. In terms of completions, it was his best performance of the season, completing 31 of 42 attempted passes.

So why the negativity? The problem in the NFL is that statistics can hide the reality of a player’s performance. In Peyton Manning’s final season the stats showed that he played quite well, but the game-tape displayed an entirely different story. Tom Brady struggled against the Green Bay Packers because he wasn’t able to power the offense into as strong a position as normal.

Tom Brady’s lack of throwing power raises question marks over his future

Tom Brady looked way off the mark with his passing

There was a moment in the final minutes of the fourth quarter where Brady looked like his old self. He dragged the Buccaneers down the field in under three minutes and made use of a no-huddle offense that left the Packers in deep trouble. It was a throwback to his days with the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick would often let an opposing team score just to give Brady the ball back with a minute left. He knew his quarterback would slice through the field quickly.

Unfortunately, this was the only time in the game where it looked like fans were watching the old Tom Brady. For the other 57 minutes of football, it seemed like there was an imposter wearing number 12. Someone who had snuck into the stadium under the cover of darkness. What was most notable was the lack of power in his passes, which has sparked a worrying debate amongst fans over whether he is entering a Manning-esque decline.

Peyton Manning was desperate to win a Super Bowl in Denver, so would have played on regardless. But with Brady, you wonder if he would hate not being able to play at his best level and simply walk away early.

Tom Brady wasn’t helped by Byron Leftwich

It was a fundamentally flawed gameplan from Byron Leftwich

As poor as his passing was for much of Sunday Night Football, Brady wasn’t at all helped by his offensive co-ordinator, Byron Leftwich. It was clear prior to the game that the receiving options the Buccaneers had available were sub-par. There was no Rob Gronkowski to call upon due to his retirement. Julio Jones, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin all sat out through either injury or suspension.

This wasn’t a surprise to the franchise and there should have been a much stronger gameplan to address those absences. Leonard Fournette should have seen much more of the ball from a rushing perspective, limiting the work the veteran quarterback had to do.

The former Jacksonville running back was only used as a power-back option on Sunday. He should have been utilized in the way that Derrick Henry is by Tennessee. Fournette needed to make as many yards as possible on the first two downs to set Tom Brady up with a short completion on third down.

This would have kept the Packers defense on the field for longer periods and helped Tampa control the game. Leftwich didn’t have such a plan and at times it seemed like Brady was just being asked to get the ball and throw it anywhere that could conceivably have a red-shirted player in it. We saw a lot of throws into space, missed routes and Brady having to take sacks due to a lack of open receivers. This didn’t need to happen.

Tom Brady’s only hope is the Tampa defense

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For all the problems the offense had on Sunday, there could be no such concerns raised over Todd Bowles and his defensive structure. They played perfectly, it was a masterclas. They were the only reason Tom Brady was even able to attempt a fourth-quarter drive to try and tie the game. If the Buccaneers are to have any chance at reaching the Super Bowl this year, then they will need to lean on their defense.

Brady can’t hope to win another championship with the offense in its current state. He will need to take a page out of Manning’s book and hope his defense carries him. This is uncharted territory for Brady, who still fully believes that he can lead an NFL team to glory.

But based on Sunday night’s evidence, he could be losing his skills day-by-day.