The New England Patriots scored on three plays of 55 or more yards and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' last-ditch efforts for a comeback came up short in a 28-23 loss at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 6-3 while the Patriots won their seventh straight game to improve to 8-2.
Baker Mayfield threw for 273 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions but it wasn't enough to counter a 72-yard touchdown reception by Kyle Williams and scoring runs of 55 and 69 yards by TreVeyon Henderson, the latter of which gave the Patriots a 28-16 lead with less than two minutes remaining. Mack Hollins also had a 54-yard reception in the fourth quarter that put New England at the Bucs' eight-yard line. Those four plays accounted for 57.5% of the Patriots' 435 yards of offense.
"There were four," said Head Coach Todd Bowles of the Patriots' big plays. "There were four in obvious situations that we didn't make, so obviously we didn't play it well enough. We definitely didn't coach it well enough. I didn't coach it well enough; it starts with me and those things can't happen when you're playing a good team like that, or any team in the league. We gave them up, they were inexcusable on our part."
The home team had a chance to pull out another last-second victory after S Tykee Smith made a diving interception in the end zone after Hollins' 54-yard grab. With the Bucs trailing 21-16, Mayfield guided the offense down to the Patriots' 27, but a fourth-down attempt just after the two-minute warning failed. Two plays later, Henderson ripped off his second long touchdown run for a 12-point lead, meaning the Bucs needed two scores in the game's final 90 seconds. Mayfield directed one scoring drive that ended in an 11-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Tez Johnson, but an onside kick attempt failed and the Patriots were able to run out the clock.
"We just didn't execute good enough," said Mayfield. "You've got to do all the little things right in critical moments. We did not do that today. What I told the team, I told the offense after the game, at some point when stuff comes up during the week, whether it's mistakes or things we talk about, and then it shows up on Sunday, you have to have some pride about you. You have to have that fear of failure, of messing up for your teammates when we talk about something. You have to have that responsibility and accountability for the guys around you. It affects entire ballgames like this when you play a good team like the Patriots. Little things will get you beat, and that was the case for us on offense today. It starts with me. There's some throws I'd like to have back, some incompletions. It starts with me, but everybody's got to have pride about it, too."
That was the second of two scoring grabs for Johnson, and Mayfield also hit the team's other rookie pass-catcher, Emeka Egbuka, on a 21-yard touchdown pass to cap a 65-yard game-opening drive. Interestingly, six of the seven touchdowns in the game were scored by rookies, as Henderson and Williams were both 2025 draft picks for the Patriots. The only exception was Stefon Diggs' one-yard touchdown catch just before halftime, which came on a fourth down after Tampa Bay's defense had stopped three straight runs from the one.
Egbuka caught six passes for 115 yards, averaging 19.2 yards per reception as the recorded the third 100-yard game of his young career. Johnson added 42 yards on four catches while TE Cade Otton tied a career high with nine receptions, which he turned into 82 yards. Overall, the Buccaneers racked up 371 yards of offense, including 113 rushing yards against a Patriots defense that came into the game allowing a league-low 75.4 rushing yards per outing. Sean Tucker led the way with 53 yards on nine carries, becoming the first opposing rusher to crack the 50-yard mark against New England this season.
Drake Maye, the Patriots' rising-star second-year quarterback, completed 16 of 31 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Hollins was his top target, catching six passes for 106 yards. Maye came into the game having taken 34 sacks on the season, the second most by any quarterback in the NFL, but the Bucs only got him down once and never consistently applied pressure on him. Henderson ran 14 times for 147 yards.
"He's a good football player," said Bowles of Maye. "He's poised in the pocket, he's athletic, he has great touch and he's a heck of a player in this league.
"We didn't win first and second down. When they had to pass they had extra protection in there, so we had made up our mind that we were going to cover more. It worked for us in the second half."
Smith's interception was the only turnover in the game, as the Bucs lost for the first time this season in a game in which they did not turn the ball over.
"We didn't play well," said Bowles. "We've got to take it on the chin. Give [Mike] Vrabel and the Patriots a lot of credit, they did a heck of a job doing the things they needed to. Their players made plays, our players did not. We've got to coach it better, we've got to play it better and that starts with me."
The Buccaneers' lead in the NFC South remains at 1.5 games after the New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday, 17-7. Atlanta also lost on Sunday morning in Berlin, falling 31-25 in overtime to Indianapolis to drop to 3-6 on the season, three games off the pace. The Patriots improved their lead to 1.5 games in the AFC East as the Buffalo Bills lost in Miami, 30-13. The Buccaneers play in Buffalo next week.
A touchback on the opening kickoff put the Buccaneers at their own 35 to start the game and White got three yards over right guard on first down. Mayfield faked another handoff on second down then fired a strike to Egbuka, who split two defenders to pick up 24 yards to the Patriots' 37. A rollout pass to TE Cade Otton and another White run left the Bucs in a third-and-one at the 28, and Tucker came in to get the first down, powering over left guard for seven yards. Mayfield had a long time to survey the field on the next snap and eventually found Egbuka wide open near the right sideline for a walk-in 21-yard touchdown.
The Patriots' first drive started at their own 34 and Maye immediately hit WR Stefon Diggs on a nine-yard curl. RB Terrell Jennings was stopped cold by OLB Yaya Diaby on second down and a Maye keeper also failed to move the sticks. The Patriots went for it on fourth-and-one, brought in 335-pound nose tackle Khyiris Tonga as a lead blocker and gave it to Jennings, who got two. A downfield shot to WR Mack Hollins was well-covered by CB Jamel Dean and out of reach, and an out to Hollins on second down was also incomplete. On third-and-10, a pressured Maye tried to loft another downfield pass to Hollins but it was off target, leading to a punt that went into the end zone for a touchback.
WR Sterling Shepard found the right corner on an end-around and got 11 yards to get the Bucs' second drive started. Tucker couldn't hold on to a dumpoff pass on the next play but got a handoff on second down and rumbled for 12 yards. Three plays later, on third-and-six, Mayfield slid left out of the pocket and then tried to sidearm a pass to Egbuka on a crosser but it was out of reach. On the ensuing punt, return man Marcus Jones slipped to the ground and was touched down at the Patriots' six.
Jennings got just two yards on first down before encountering Vita Vea but Diggs picked up 10 on a sideline comebacker. Jamel Dean came off the edge to drop Jennings for no gain on first down, and OLB Yaya Diaby chased Maye into a throwaway on second down. A pitch left to RB TreVeyon Henderson was blocked to perfection and only a diving leg tackle by Dean prevented a long touchdown run, as the back ended up with a 16-yard gain to the 35. Two plays later, S Antoine Winfield Jr. broke up a pass over the middle intended for TE Austin Hooper, making it third-and-10. Maye tried to scramble for the sticks on third down but DL Elijah Roberts caught him five yards short. WR Kam Johnson fair caught the Patriots' punt at the Tampa Bay 23.
An attempted tight end screen to Payne Durham fell incomplete but White bounced out of a pileup at the line and managed to get seven yards on second down. Mayfield was pressured quickly on third down and initially got away from a pursuer but was then caught from behind by K'Lavon Chaisson for a 10-yard sack. A penalty on New England on the ensuing punt return put the ball at the Patriots' 28 for their next possession.
There was only 11 seconds left in the quarter as the drive began, but the Patriots tied the game before the period ended. Maye hit Williams on a deep crosser and the rookie receiver ran away from the defense for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Johnson took the next kickoff back out to the Bucs' 30. A pitch left to Tucker failed to gain a yard but a blocked-up tunnel screen to Shepard was good for eight. Unfortunately, the Bucs couldn't convert the third-and-two when Mayfield's pass in Egbuka's direction was incomplete. The Patriots committed holding on the punt that followed, putting the ball back at the New England seven.
A quick slant to Diggs gave the Patriots some breathing room, and a pass interference call on CB Benjamin Morrison led to a first down at the 24. Three plays later, on third-and-three, the Bucs brought a big blitz and Roberts was able to deflect a pass intended for Diggs to force a punt. Johnson executed a fair catch at the Bucs' 25.
Mayfield got the next drive moving with a 12-yard out to WR Tez Johnson, and two plays later Otton sat down in a hole in the zone to attract a 12-yard pass to the Bucs' 49. Mayfield's next pass was a precise strike to Egbuka down the right hashmarks that gave him room to run all the way to the Patriots' 20. The Bucs then faced a third-and-11 moments later and a screen to Otton was only good for three, bringing on the field goal unit. Chase McLaughlin lined up a 36-yard attempt and hit it through the pipes to give the Bucs a 10-7 lead with seven minutes left in the half.
The Bucs covered well on the ensuing kickoff, dropping return man Efton Chism at the Patriots' 22. A pitch left to Henderson met a swarm of tacklers and gained just one yard, but an offsides flag on Diaby gave the Patriots five free yards. New England then gave those five back on a false start, but still moved the chains with a 19-yard crosser to Diggs. A Maye scramble was good for three and Hollins added 12 on a curl. Maye threw on the run downfield to Diggs on the next play but CB Jacob Parrish broke it up. A screen to WR Demario Douglas out to the left made it third-and-two at the Bucs' 35, though another false start adjusted that to third-and-seven. Maye got the ball off just in time against a blitz and Douglas caught it and ran for 26 yards to the Bucs' 14. Roberts dropped a scrambling Maye for a one-yard sack as the two-minute warning arrived. After the break, a long-developing screen to Henry was good for nine and the Bucs used a timeout with 1:52 left. Henderson got the needed two yards and a few more to take it down to the one and the Bucs used their final timeout of the half. The Bucs stopped a Maye sneak on first-and-goal, and DL Elijah Simmons stood Henderson up for no gain on second down. The Patriots called a timeout and then tried a pitch to Henderson but LB Lavonte David kept him out of the end zone. New England went for it on fourth-and-goal and Maye threw a fade to Diggs, who made a leaping catch and tapped both feet inbounds for the touchdown.
The second half started with a touchback that put the Patriots on their own 35. The drive started with a 10-yard pass to Hollins on a quick curl and then ended on the next play when Henderson burst through a gap and accelerated past the rest of the defense for a 55-yard touchdown run.
The Bucs next drive opened at their 27 and got off to a good start with a seven-yard Egbuka catch and a five-yard White run. Mayfield underthrew Egbuka on a deep out and Tucker's next run failed to gain a yard. Mayfield took a shot on a deep post to Shepard but it was out of reach and the Bucs had to punt. Return man Marcus Jones dropped his attempt at a fair catch but was able to fall on it at the Patriots' 30.
Henderson got the ball twice in a row to start the next drive but the carries amounted to just three yards. LB SirVocea Dennis made a diving breakup of a pass just before it reached Henry. A booming 59-yard punt by Bryce Barringer and a penalty on the Bucs moved the ball all the way back to the Tampa Bay eight-yard line for the next possession.
Tucker had nowhere to go on a first-down handoff and lost two yards. Otton got the ball on a short pass to the right on second down and was able to fight to within a half-yard of the first down. White took it up on the gut on a power run and was able to push the pile for two yards and a new set of downs. The Bucs emptied out the backfield and Mayfield went deep towards Egbuka down the right sideline, drawing a 22-yard pass-interference call on CB Christian Gonzalez. White was able to turn a near loss into a two-yard gain by reversing field to the right, and Egbuka made a toe-tapping sideline catch for 11 yards. Tucker then found an opening over left tackle and charged through for 12 yards to the New England 34. Otton absorbed a big hit on the left sideline to hold on to a 13-yard pass down to the 21. Kam Johnson came on to take an end-around to the right, getting around the corner for 11 more to the 10. A play-action rollout was well defended and Mayfield's pass into the end zone was incomplete. After a sideline pass to Egbuka went through his arms, Mayfield scrambled right to buy time on third-and-goal and eventually found Tez Johnson in the back corner of the end zone for the score. The Bucs went for two but failed to convert, leaving the deficit at 21-16 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
After a touchback, Maye took a deep shot to Henry on a wheel route but it was out of reach. David tripped Henderson up on a sweep left after a gain of three, but on third-and-seven Maye got off a pass with four defenders in his face and Hollins caught it for a gain of 15. S Tykee Smith chased Maye into a scrambling incompletion on the next play and an end-around to Douglas was stopped for no gain. Maye scrambled for five yards to the Bucs' 42 and the Patriots left their offense on the field. Maye tried to hit Diggs going right to left but McCollum had tight coverage and was able to knock it away.
The Bucs those took over at their own 42 and White pounded for four yards on first down. A dumpoff pass to Otton got five more and brought the third quarter to an end. After the two teams switched sides, Tucker got the ball on third-and-one and was able to just power it past the line to gain. Mayfield faked a handoff and rolled left, looking for a deep shot, but eventually threw underneath to Otton and it was incomplete. A dumpoff pass to Tucker lost two yards, but Otton's next catch gained nine yards to make it fourth-and-three at the New England 40. The Buccaneers went for it and Otton got open for a 29-yard gain but the play came back on offensive pass interference when Shepard and LB Marte Mapu. The Bucs were forced to punt instead and the ball bounced into the end zone for a touchback.
A short pass to Henderson and a run by the same back resulted in a net gain of one yard, and a third-down pass to Hollins was stopped a yard short by CB Jamel Dean. The Patriots punted and the Bucs got it back at their 24 with 10 minutes left in regulation. The drive started with White's six-yard run between the tackles but Mayfield was dropped for a five-yard sack. A quick pass to Shepard was complete but he was quickly tackled for a gain of just one. Riley Dixon's punt only traveled 32 yards to the Patriots' 42. A sweep left by Henderson was met by a wall of tacklers and led to a loss of four. Maye took a shot deep down the middle of the field on second down but it wasn't close to being complete. On third-and-long, Maye once again went over the top and this time Hollins was able to run under it for a gain of 54, with McCollum dragging him down at the eight. A defensive holding call moved the ball to the three, but RB D'Ernest Johnson got nothing on a first-down run. Maye was chased into a second-down throwaway and the Bucs took it away on third down. Maye was flushed out to the right and he tried to hit Hollins in the back of the end zone. Smith dived and made an incredible catch with his arms fully extended to intercept the pass.
The Bucs thus got the ball back at their own 20 and White ran over right guard for five yards on first down, followed by a six-yard catch for a first down. Two plays later, Mayfield found Otton down the middle for a gain of 16 yards, and Tucker bounced wide to the left on the next play for a run of 18 yards. A seven-yard catch by Otton two plays later made it third-and-three at the 27 as the two-minute warning arrived. Mayfield then tried to fit in another short pass to Otton on third down but he was hit very hard by defenders on both sides and couldn't hold on. On fourth down, Mayfield was quickly swarmed over by a gang of pass-rushers, and while he was somehow able to get off a desperation backwards flip to White, the back was quickly tackled for a loss of three.
The Bucs had all three timeouts left and were hoping to force a quick punt, but on New England's second run Henderson hit a wall up the middle but then bounced outside and got around the corner before sprinting all the way for a 69-yard touchdown.
Now down two scores, the Bucs needed to score and then execute an onside kick to have a chance at a comeback. They accomplished the first part with a 65-yard drive keyed by Egbuka's 21-yard catch to the New England 31. The drive ended on a precise 11-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson with 33 seconds left on the clock. McLaughlin managed to get a well-timed bounced on his kickoff but Diggs got to it before the Bucs could and held on after taking a hard hit.
