The New England Patriots scored on three touchdowns of 50-plus yards, including a 72-yarder to Kyle Williams and runs of 55 yards and 69 yards by TreVeyon Henderson, halting Tampa Bay's comeback bid late in the fourth quarter. Out of their bye week, the Buccaneers fell to the Patriots, 28-23 and dropped to 6-3 on the season.
"There were four," said Head Coach Todd Bowles of New England's explosive plays down the stretch. "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."
Offensive Overview
Baker Mayfield threw for 273 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka caught six passes for 115 yards, averaging 19.2 yards per reception en route to the third 100-yard game of his inaugural campaign in the NFL. Seventh-round pick Tez Johnson compiled 42 yards on four catches and two touchdowns. Tight end Cade Otton tied a career-high with nine receptions, generating 82 yards. He showcased his efficiency on option routes and was stout as a blocker, displaying poise at the point of attack. On the final scoring drive, Otton spurred Tucker's 18-yard run, allowing him to get wide. The Buccaneers racked up 371 yards of offense, including 113 rushing yards against a Patriots' defense that came into the game as the top-ranked squad, allowing a league-low 75.4 rushing yards per game. Sean Tucker spearheaded the ground game with 53 yards on nine carries, becoming the first running back to eclipse the 50-yard milestone against New England in 2025. With a powerful lower body and elite contact balance, Tucker made decisive cuts downhill to achieve additional yardage.
The Buccaneers got off to a hot start with an opening six-play, 65-yard scoring drive that culminated in an Egbuka touchdown off a flat route out of the slot. He became the catalyst on the drive with a 24-yard gain off an in-breaking route, as did Otton. Off a play-action dart from Mayfield, Otton came from the backside in motion to move the chains. The Bucs were able to march down the field in the second quarter, courtesy of a 31-yard gain by Egbuka off a deep in-route where he took advantage of the coverage void in zone. However, the Patriots' swarmed Rachaad White on a screen and the Bucs had to settle for three on a Chase McLaughlin 36-yard field goal.
The offense then lulled and Tampa Bay did not reach the end zone again until the third quarter. Johnson capped off the 92-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown. Out of shotgun, Mayfield faced a four-man pressure and rolled out, while Johnson extended the play and continued to run across the back of the end zone to make himself available to the quarterback. On the drive, an out-route by Egbuka, power run by Tucker for 11 yards – where Tristan Wirfs crashed down and Otton sealed the edge – a pump fake to Otton off a fake receiver screen and a jet sweep to Johnson for a gain of 11 set up the score.
Defensive Outlook
Drake Maye, the Patriots' breakout second-year quarterback, completed 16 of 31 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Mack Hollins was his go-to target, who caught six passes for 106 yards. TreVeyon Henderson rushed 14 times for 147 yards and scored two touchdowns for a 10.5 average per tote. The Patriots committed to the run game to spark explosives downhill, marrying their concepts. New England found success at the line, displacing the Bucs to create holes, and forced Tampa Bay to make tackles in space.
In addition to the three scores of 50-plus yards, Maye hit Stefon Diggs from fourth-and-goal in the second quarter on a fade. Diggs got both feet down on the to tap to give New England a 14-10 advantage. Overall, Lavonte David led the Bucs with nine tackles and Tykee Smith came in second with eight, including one for loss. Smith posted one quarterback hit, one interception and one pass defensed. Smith's diving interception of Maye – his first of the season – came in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Dating back to the start of last season, Smith is one-of-two safeties in the NFL that has 100-plus tackles, 15-plus passes defensed, and multiple sacks plus interceptions (also, Green Bay's Xavier McKinney). Elijah Roberts posted two tackles (one for loss), one quarterback hit, 1.0 sack and one pass defensed.
