Brady, Bucs look to get offense going vs. Chiefs

Three touchdowns in three games hardly qualifies as getting the job done offensively.

Tom Brady knows he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be better moving forward, beginning with a highly anticipated matchup Sunday night against Patrick Mahomes and the highscoring Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s the first meeting between the Super Bowlwinning quarterbacks since the Bucs trounced the Chiefs in the NFL title game two seasons ago.

There’s an added element of intrigue with the game being played in Tampa in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which cut a destructive path across Florida earlier in the week.

“I always feel like sports has brought people together . ... Watching different adversities, whether it was 9/11 or if it was [Hurricane] Katrina, sports has an amazing way of kind of healing wounds, bringing people together and bringing communities together,” Brady said.

“I think any time you can participate in something like that, it’s a great feeling. It means a lot for us to have the opportunity to go out and play for our fans always,” Brady added. “But after what so many people have gone through in the state, it’s great to go out there and give them something to cheer about.”

The Bucs (2-1) relocated to South Florida to avoid the storm, using the Miami Dolphins practice facility to prepare for the Chiefs (2-1).

They are off to a successful start despite struggling offensively. Injuries have been a factor, though Brady isn’t using that as an excuse for the team having more turnovers (four) than offensive TDs (three) up to this point.

“We’re three games in. I think we realize that there’s things we haven’t done so well that we’ve got to get corrected,” Brady said.

“Whoever’s in the game, we’ve got to do a better job of scoring points,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion added. “That comes down to a lot of things — penalties, turnovers, making the right play, executing the play. If we do that, I believe we will score points.”

Like the Bucs, the

Chiefs are coming off their first loss of the season. Tampa Bay limited Kansas City to three field goals the previous time the teams met, and head coach Todd Bowles’ defense has only gotten better since then.

“They’re one of, if not the best defense in football,” said Mahomes, who hopes to rebound from a 20-17 loss at Indianapolis.

“They have great players in every phase ... and they’ve played together for a while, so they’re going to kind of confuse you, give you different looks, and they’re going to fly around and make plays,” Mahomes added. “So, it’s about us executing, getting the ball out of my hand and making other guys make plays.”

ELSEWHERE

● Browns: Myles Garrett will not play in Sunday’s game against Atlanta, giving Cleveland’s star defensive end more time to recover from multiple injuries suffered when he crashed his Porsche earlier in the week.

The All-Pro hurt his shoulder, biceps, had several cuts and bruises, and broke a blood vessel in his left eye when he lost control while speeding near his home. Garrett veered into a ditch, hit a fire hydrant and flipped his car several times on Monday after practice.

The Browns listed him as questionable Friday before downgrading the 26-year-old to out on Saturday before flying to Georgia to take on the Falcons. Garrett, who cleared concussion protocol, did not make the trip.

Garrett has been cited numerous times by police for speeding in the past few years. He said the accident was a “wake-up” call and pledged to be more careful driving.

“I don’t think it takes something as drastic as this to tell me that I need to slow down,” he said. “It’s about listening to my loved ones, hearing them out, and understanding that it is serious every time you get into the car.”