Bengals' Apple: We shut down Brady by getting 'that old man tap dancing'

Tom Brady seemed to have the Cincinnati Bengals' number during the first half of Sunday's game, racking up 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed a 17-3 lead.

But the Bucs' offense quickly fell apart in the second half. The Bengals changed their pass-rush approach, forcing the quarterback into four consecutive turnovers - two interceptions and two fumbles - en route to scoring 34 unanswered points.

Cincinnati cornerback Eli Apple said his team's second-half resurgence was fueled by a plan to get the 45-year-old Brady off his spot and on the run.

"Got to get that old man tap dancing, man," Apple said, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. "Got to get him out of the pocket and get him uncomfortable."

When asked about Brady's first-half performance, Apple added, "He was fairly OK, but not good enough to win."

Previously, Brady-led teams had earned a 159-3 record and gone 89-0 at home when leading by 17 points at any moment in the game, according to Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald.

While Brady has struggled to play up to his lofty standards this season - he has failed to throw more than one touchdown in nine games - he was minimizing mistakes over the first 11 contests, throwing only two interceptions.

But the signal-caller now has six total turnovers in his last two outings after tossing two picks against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14.

Brady and the 6-8 Bucs will look to stay in the lead of the NFC South on the road against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16.

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