The New England Patriots were under some pressure entering their Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Thursday, the Denver Broncos opened the week with a victory to improve to 8-2 on the season.
Earlier on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts celebrated a win in Germany to tie their record and reclaim the top spot in the AFC.
For the Patriots to keep track with those two teams and stay well-positioned in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they needed a win as well — one against a tough opponent on the road. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel ended up delivering, beating the Bucs with a final score of 28-23 to earn a seventh straight W and improve to 8-2 as well.
Here are our lessons learned from the contest.
The Patriots are indeed a contender
Coming off a 4-13 season that saw them finish in last place in their division, the Patriots naturally were set to go up against one of the easier schedules in football this season. And over the first half of their campaign, they took full advantage: their 7-2 record entering Sunday included wins over some abysmal teams like the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.
The Buccaneers, despite having been bitten hard by the injury bug this year, do not belong in the same category. Quite the opposite: at 6-2, they were the second-ranked team in the NFC coming out of Week 9. The challenge they posed was as big as any Mike Vrabel’s team encountered so far this season.
And yet, they proved that their record was no mirage and that they indeed are contenders that need to be taken seriously.
“It’s huge to come down to South Florida and get a win against a great football team who’s won a lot of games this year,” said linebacker Robert Spillane after the game. “I’m really proud of the guys, of how we got some stops — crucial stops — late down the stretch. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, we knew it was going to take four quarters, we knew Baker [Mayfield] loves to fight back in these games. I’m just proud of how we finished.”
The Patriots did not play their best football on Sunday, with their offense in particular being hit and miss at times. And yet, in the end, they delivered with an eight-minute stretch around the half and a three-play sequence in the fourth quarter making the difference in the visitors’ favor.
“It was a good battle,” added cornerback Christian Gonzalez. “They got a good team, they made some plays, we made some plays — that’s how football goes, that’s the nature of the sport. It was good to get a win, an away win.”
The Patriots will soon return to the non-playoff-caliber portion of their schedule — a Thursday night game against the 2-7 New York Jets awaits — but they showed that they can play winning football regardless of opponent. That is the mark of a team very much capable of making noise in the playoffs.
More lessons learned from Patriots vs. Buccaneers
The defense rises to the occasion: The Patriots could have put the game away earlier, but Drake Maye tossing an interception in the red zone killed any momentum they built midway through the fourth quarter and gave the Buccaneers a chance to take the lead. However, up 21-16, the defense delivered a stand: while the Bucs moved into New England territory, the group — led by quick pressure from edge K’Lavon Chaisson — delivered a crucial stop on 4th-and-3 inside the two-minute warning.
TreVeyon Henderson’s breakout is real: Two plays after that stop, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson took a handoff 69 yards into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. It was the cherry on top of an impressive showing by the second-round draft pick, who had his most productive game of the season and finally seems to have hit his stride. It will be interesting to see how the team will split reps between him and starter Rhamondre Stevenson moving forward, but it is clear that Henderson’s speed and home run ability — two skills he showcased during his college career as well — have translated over from Ohio State to the pros.
Stefon Diggs is still the go-to guy — in more than one ways: When the Patriots needed to make a play on the final snap of the first half, they turned to their most trusted pass catcher: Stefon Diggs, who hauled in a Drake Maye pass from 1 yard out and managed to bring in both feet in bounds for a go-ahead and momentum-building touchdown. Later in the game, the team called Diggs’ number again, this time in a different setting: with the Bucs attempting a last-chance onside kick down 28-23, the offseason addition was there to pluck the ball from the air and secure the victory.
Christian Gonzalez might be the Patriots’ defensive MVP: Emeka Egbuka is as good a rookie wide receiver as we have seen in recent years, and he did win his fair share of battles against New England’s defense. The team’s No. 1 cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, still did a mighty fine job against the first-rounder. While giving up some space in off-coverage situations, he mostly neutralized Egbuka and finished the game allowing four catches for 56 yards with a pair of pass breakups. While the Patriots have seen some impressive individual efforts on defense this season, Gonzalez remains the unit’s best player. He might also be its most valuable, when all is said and done.
Uncharacteristic accuracy: Whether it was the rainy conditions or adjusting to his first full game without deep-field receiver Kayshon Boutte, Drake Maye’s NFL-leading accuracy was not on display early on against the Buccaneers. He eventually settled down a bit and delivered some highlight-reel throws down the stretch, but overall never quite regained his footing. Maye finished with a completion rage of 55.2%, 5.9 percentage points below expectation.
Fullback Khyiris Tonga is here to stay: When the Patriots lost rookie fullback Brock Lampe to injured reserve over the summer, they needed to find a way to adjust. They did so by making two moves: converting tight end Jack Westover and, somewhat surprisingly, adding defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga to the mix. Sunday was Tonga’s second game in that role, and he was on the field for eight snaps (13%), including a fourth down in the first quarter. It is clear, Tonga the part-time fullback is not going anywhere any time soon.
Red zone defense remains an issue: The Patriots entered Week 10 as the worst red zone defense in the NFL, giving up touchdowns on two thirds of opponents’ trips inside their 20-yard line. The good news: they were better than that on Sunday. The bad news: Tampa still went 2-for-3.
Patriots fans bring a home game atmosphere: While hard to quantify, the Patriots did receive significant support at Raymond James Stadium. The “MVP!” chants directed at Drake Maye were a perfect example that illustrated how a sizable portion of the crowd was pro-New England, with all that it entailed from an operational perspective. The need for silent counts and the like was limited throughout the day.
Short turnaround sparks questions: Besides Terrell Jennings, who exited the game in the first quarter, the Patriots suffered no game-ending injury on Sunday. While that is good news heading into a short week and Thursday nighter against the Jets, questions remain — from Jennings’ status, to that of other players who were banged up such as Christian Barmore, to Week 10 inactives like Rhamondre Stevenson, Kayshon Boutte and Christian Elliss. The timeline for rest and recovery will be a different one this week.
