The road to seven in a row had to go through Raymond James Stadium. The road to remain unbeaten on the road did, too.
The New England Patriots got there on Sunday with a 28-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here’s a glance back on 1 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel’s side returns home in the driver’s seat at 8-2.
Maye keeps letting it rip
Drake Maye entered Sunday atop the NFL in completion percentage. He also entered with a 100-or-higher passer rating in every game since the season’s opening loss. Against the leaders of the NFC South, those reference points fell.
The Patriots did not. The 23-year-old quarterback finished 16-of-31 for 270 yards with two touchdowns and one interception along the way.
Heading onto the field in “12” personnel with tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, the rainy opening drive featured one first down before punting. The AFC East visitors were sent to the same end result on the next possession. But on the final snap of the first quarter, 4.4 speed was found crossing over the middle against Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison. With pinpoint ball placement and afterburners, a 7-7 game it became from 72 yards away.
The score read 14-10 for New England by halftime. A 14-play, 78-yard surge was the reason why. It spanned 7:16 of game clock. On a fourth-and-goal throw to toe-dragging veteran wideout Stefon Diggs, it came to a close in the back left corner of the end zone.
Two plays later, things were back in the end zone. Even so, a pair of three-and-outs and a turnover on downs were soon endured. The stagnant third quarter bled into the fourth quarter. It saw the lead cut to 21-16. But Maye, on third-and-14, let it rip for 54 yards to bring the offense into the red zone. No points came of the downfield strike. An interception by safety Tykee Smith did. Answers were found elsewhere from there.
Down TD leader, wideouts combine for 258 yards
The Patriots were missing a team-high five touchdowns on Sunday. In the absence of Kayshon Boutte, who was ruled out due to a hamstring injury, a rookie broke through.
Kyle Williams crossed over the middle and put the pedal to the floor for 72 yards to end the first quarter. The Washington State product’s first NFL touchdown marked the offense’s longest play in four years. Per Next Gen Stats, a top speed of 21.78 mph was reached down the right sideline, the temporarily stood as fastest of any rookie ball-carrier this fall. He hadn’t caught a pass since September.
A handful wideouts were active for New England. The position combined for 258 receiving yards and more moments. The aforementioned Diggs caught his third touchdown in three games and recovered the last-gasp onside kick. Fellow elder statesman Mack Hollins started alongside him, went over the shoulder on third-and-14 and finished with a season-best six catches for 106 yards. In the slot, meanwhile, Florida native DeMario Douglas showed suddenness on a third-and-7 conversion for 26 yards that set up points.
Undrafted free agent Efton Chism III rounded out the room as the primary kickoff returner.
Henderson goes long twice for shorthanded backfield
A toe injury kept Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined for back-to-back weeks. But there would be room to run against the Buccaneers without the lead back. Even if defensive tackle Vita Vea proved to be a 6-foot-4, 347-pound problem.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson turned 14 carries into a career-high 147 yards for the Patriots. A third-and-10 outside toss for 16 yards arrived on the Ohio State product’s first touch of the game. And on his first touch following halftime, he found an onramp through the middle and hit the highway for a touchdown from 55 yards away.
Easy acceleration by the No. 38 overall pick, it marked the longest run for New England since 2023. And then Henderson surpassed it with 1:47 remaining, checking the rearview mirror while doing so. A 69-yard sprint into the end zone for his second touchdown of the afternoon.
Attrition kept hitting the backfield on Sunday. Terrell Jennings, a recent promotion to the 53-man roster who converted on a fourth-and-1 run, was downgraded to out with a knee injury. Veteran D’Ernest Johnson, who served as a standard elevation from the practice squad for the second game in a row, was at one point the lone available member of the depth chart.
Pass protection outlasts Buccaneers’ blitzes
New England’s quarterback had been sacked 34 times from September into November. That tally already tied his rookie total. It also ranked second around the NFL. But creating plays outside of structure will do that. You just try to “thread a fine line,“ as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said.
That fine line was threaded against what Tampa Bay dialed up. Head coach Todd Bowles’ defense entered Sunday with a blitz rate of 30.7 percent, according to Sharp Football Analysis. A single sack followed for a loss of a yard.
The visiting offensive line kept its starting combination for the ninth time this season. It’d be No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell and No. 95 overall pick Jared Wilson on one side. It’d be ironman Garrett Bradbury at center. And it’d be fellow veterans Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses over his other shoulder. False starts were in the cards for the left guard and right tackle.
Mayfield finds rookies for three touchdowns
Baker Mayfield last started a game against the Patriots in 2021. A 45-7 loss was the result. Much has changed since then. On Sunday, the former Heisman Trophy winner completed 28-of-43 passes for 273 yards. He found three touchdowns by way of rookie targets.
The matinee got underway with Emeka Egbuka, who amassed a team-high 115 yards, turning an in-cut versus cornerback Christian Gonzalez into a pickup of 24. It continued with the Buccaneers wide receiver catching an uncovered touchdown from 21 yards out against a starting secondary that also included Super Bowl LV champion Carlton Davis III, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson.
New England forced punts on the next three series. But September’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month kept slicing zone coverage. Fellow wideout Tez Johnson, the final selection in Tampa Bay’s 2025 draft class, then got on the board twice in the second half.
Mayfield would be taken down for two sacks. Veteran outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson got in the column early to extend his career high to 6.5. In the closing minutes, undrafted Cal Poly Elijah Ponder got the first of his career.
Eclipsing 50 on the ground
Without starter Bucky Irving, the Buccaneers managed to do what no other ground attack had done this season. Narrowly.
The Patriots hadn’t allowed 50 rushing yards to an opposing running back this campaign. Sean Tucker changed on nine carries. A long of 18 was among his 53 on an afternoon in which the home backfield averaged 4.78 yards per.
But there would be stops for loss made by the New England defense.
The starting base front included Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and situational fullback Khyris Tonga on the interior. Harold Landry III and Jahlani Tavai occupied the edges. Off the ball, linebackers Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens had a hand in 19 tackles.
