Sunday's loss marked the second-worst ATS defeat of Brady's career
Tom Brady long was the enemy of sportsbooks, but now might be becoming their biggest ally.
The Buccaneers quarterback suffered the second-worst against the spread loss of his 23-year career Sunday as Tampa Bay fell to the lowly Carolina Panthers. Brady’s Buccaneers closed as a 13.5-point favorite given Carolina was starting fourth-string quarterback P.J. Walker, traded its best player in Christian McCaffrey, all while working with an interim head coach.
Nevertheless the Panthers held Brady’s Bucs without a touchdown in a 21-3 verdict, marking the biggest upset of the 2022 NFL season. It also carried plenty of history for the signal-caller, though not in a good way, as shared by Action Network.
Brady now has lost two straight games as a double-digit favorite, which had never happened in the quarterback’s career. He now has lost five consecutive games against the spread, which also is his longest streak since 2007.
The worst ATS defeat of Brady’s career remains New England’s loss in Miami during the 2019 season. Brady and the Patriots entered as a 17.5-point favorite and fell 27-24, his last regular-season game as a member of the organization. The Week 7 effort in Carolina, however, now jumps to the second-worst and pushes the Patriots’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals in 2012 from the second spot to third, per Action Network.
Oddsmakers certainly haven’t minded as they’ve collected a great deal of money the last two weeks. Entering the contest between the Buccaneers and Panthers on Sunday, 96% of the handle and 94% of the tickets at PointsBet Sportsbook were on Tampa Bay, and it was a similar story at other sportsbooks. There was a massive amount of money and tickets on the Buccaneers to defeat the Steelers in Week 6, as well, prompting another payday for the books.
NFL bettors should proceed carefully with Brady and the Buccaneers in the near future as Tampa Bay’s coaching and execution have made for the lowest point of Brady’s tenure in the Sunshine State.