Tom Brady admits frustration with passing offense, but sees the bright side

Frustrating day for the passing game? “Yeah, but we won.”

On a few occasions this season, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has come off the field in a bad mood. That was not so this week.

Brady was relatively even-keeled after the Patriots’ 34-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. New England needed help from their defense and their special teams to separate the scoreline. But when the special teams forced a fumble on a punt return and cornerback Stephon Gilmore managed a pick-six, the Patriots put the game out of reach.

Brady, meanwhile, wasn’t exactly brilliant. He was 15 of 29 with 128 yards and two touchdowns. He had accuracy issues, missing an open touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu and another to running back Sony Michel (with a low and hard-to-catch pass).

Was Brady frustrated with the passing game?.

“Yeah, but we won, so I’m happy we won,” Brady said during a postgame press conference. “I wish we’d always do better. There’s always things to improve on, even when you win.”

Brady has previously expressed his frustration, even after wins this season (like he did after beating the Eagles). The offense has been struggling, and so they’ve relied upon the other units. And that’s not something Brady is accustomed to — not since the early 2000s when he first took over as starter.

Perhaps he’s growing more comfortable with trusting his teammates — even if he’d prefer to put the team on his back. What’s more, there’s a few sparks of hope on offense, with receiver N’Keal Harry (2 catches, 15 yards, 1 TD; 2 rushes 22 yards), tight end Matt LaCosse (3 catches, 22 yards) and running back Rex Burkhead (6 rushes, 53 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 6 yards) taking on increased and improved roles in the offense.

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