Final 2 At Ray-Jay Will Define This Season Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune, published 18 December 2005 Two home games. It's down to that. The Bucs can win the NFC South. They can enter the postseason as a wild-card team. They can even miss the playoffs altogether. It's senseless to spend much time picking apart Saturday's 28-0 loss to the New England Patriots. Here's the most meaningful analysis: It was a butt-kicking. Simple as that. Don't blame a letdown or false sense of security. Don't blame the cold. Blame the Patriots. They played with more urgency. It was a butt-kicking. The Patriots did what champions do - they took advantage of the opponent's deficiencies. Cadillac Williams never got solid footing, so the Bucs were always in desperate down-and-distance situations. Tampa Bay's offensive line failed to protect the battered Chris Simms, who was betrayed by fumble-fingered receivers when he did beat the rush. Tom Brady was Tom Brady. The Bucs managed just 138 yards of offense, the worst total in Coach Jon Gruden's four seasons. If you throw out the first two seasons in 1976 and '77 - when Tampa Bay's offensively challenged warriors received standing ovations just for making first downs - it was the ninth-poorest offensive performance in franchise history. The Patriots were the better team. Even more significantly, they were the better prepared team. Now it's down to a pair of home games for the 9-5 Bucs. The Atlanta Falcons on Christmas Eve. The New Orleans Saints on New Year's Day. Win them both and possibilities abound. Split, and it might be nervous time. Get swept, and you can all but turn out the lights. "We had a setback, no doubt," Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said. "But this has been a resilient team. We're good about coming back from a loss." Now there's no choice. Immediately after the game, Gruden didn't want to rationalize this dismal effort. "I told our team we're not going to just brush this under the rug and say it's a mulligan," Gruden said. "We didn't play well. I take credit for that." But looking back now is fruitless. It's done. In a playoff run, big losses (and big wins) must be shed quickly. The plane ride home is about the only time for celebration or mourning. "Our mind-set? Our mind-set now is Atlanta," linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "We can't win both games next week. We can only win one. Coach Gruden was telling us to make sure we get our rest before we come back to work [Tuesday]. Make sure in the next couple of days we do everything we're supposed to do to get Christmas [preparations] out of the way. Because when we come back, we can't have any distractions." Two home games. It's down to that. "It sounds great," defensive end Simeon Rice said. "But the only thing that protects you is effort. We still have to earn that right [for the playoffs]." The Bucs did not look like a playoff team Saturday. You could say that a few other times this year, notably in losses to the Jets and 49ers (combined record: 5-21). But the season has been a swirl of emotion. The 4-0 start. Electrifying wins against the Redskins and Falcons. Then last week's clean-as-a-whistle road thumping of the Panthers, a signal that special things could be ahead for the Bucs. Now it's one step back. One encouraging sign: The Patriots aren't in the NFC, definitely the NFL's junior circuit. If the Bucs make the playoffs, they will not see a quarterback anywhere near the level of Brady. "You hear about the guy, you see him on film, you watch him in the Super Bowl, but until you play against the guy, you really don't know what he's like," linebacker Ryan Nece said. "He's great." Maybe it wasn't classic Brady - 20 of 31 for 258 yards and three touchdowns - but it was enough to slice up the Bucs. Brady, who threw to nine different receivers, took the Patriots 76 yards in 12 plays on the game's opening possession, including a 32-yard sideline pass to David Givens on third-and-7, splitting Tampa Bay defenders Juran Bolden and Dexter Jackson. "Oh my God, did Brady throw that one in there or what?" Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "You can't give him too many snaps. You've got to get [him] off the field. He's too good. And we got him on a day when he was exceptional." Early on, it was clear. The Bucs weren't going to win this game. Not against Brady. Not against this team. "It's over," Rice said. "We can't sit here and cry about it. We've got work to do." Two home games. It's down to that. Atlanta and New Orleans. Now it's time to define what this season really is all about.