Can the Patriots Pass Their Biggest Test Yet? Week 10 Preview at Buccaneers

Matt Hylen
24 hours ago
4 min read

After narrowly escaping with a win against the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots are back on the road as they head to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. New England, which holds a 7-2 record, will look to extend their win streak to seven against the 6-2 Bucs. Aside from maybe Buffalo, New England has yet to face a high-powered offense that can load up the scoreboard any given week. So, let's get into everything there is to know before this crucial clash between top-tier teams.

Injury Report

As of Friday's (11/6) injury report, three players have been listed as out for Sunday's game. those include:

WR Kayshon Boutee (Hamstring)

LB Christian Elliss (Hip)

RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Toe)

Other players on the team, such as C Garrett Bradbury, DT Joshua Farmer, CB Christian Gonzalez, and LB Marte Mapu, were listed on the report this week but hold no designation heading into Sunday.

As for Tampa Bay, their injury report is a bit more lengthy. Here is a look at those who hold designations heading into Sunday:

QUESTIONABLE

OT Luke Goedeke (Foot)

OT Luke Haggard (Shoulder)

OUT

WR Chris Godwin Jr. (Fibula)

RB Bucky Irving (Foot, Shoulder)

OLB Hasson Reddick (Ankle, Knee)

LB Markees Watts (Hand)

LB Lavonte David, QB Baker Mayfield, CB Zyon McCollum, CB Jacob Parrish, OG Ben Bredeson, and RB Sean Tucker were all limited at some point during the week but hold no injury designation entering this week's game.

My 3 Keys to the Game

To start off, I need to see more from the secondary. The D-Line has done a fantastic job this year at stopping the run, having not allowed a 50+ yard game to a running back. The passing defense, on the other hand, has been inconsistent, to say the least. New England currently ranks in the bottom half in passing yards per game, bottom 10 in yards allowed per attempt, and bottom 5 in opponent completion percentage. This is the kind of secondary that Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has torn apart all season long. Tampa Bay's extremely banged-up receiver room should be a boost for the Pats, but they have to figure out a defensive scheme that prevents Mayfield from picking this defense apart.

Adding on to this, the defensive line has to pressure Mayfield. The Patriots had only one sack all game long last week, allowing QB Michael Penix Jr. enough time to find his targets. This will not fly against an MVP candidate like Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has been so good at escaping the pass rush and finding the open man after the pocket collapses. New England has to consider this heavily in their game plan if they want to get to Baker. Again, Tampa Bay's injuries on the offensive line should help, but it will ultimately be up to Head Coach Mike Vrabel and interim Defensive Coordinator Zak Kuhr to scheme up a pass rush that allows the D-line to contain Mayfield.

Last but certainly not least, the offense can't afford to fall behind by more than a score. That may seem a little dramatic, as we have seen multiple occasions of multi-score comebacks this season, but battling from behind against Tampa Bay is extremely difficult. Head Coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs' coaching staff have been at their best when managing games from ahead, not only on the offensive end but the defensive end as well. No one schemes up blitzes at the right times better than Todd Bowles in my eyes, which is something to look out for if you're the New England Patriots. We will have to see how the offensive line can hold up, but one thing is for sure: A game like last week will not get a win against the Buccaneers.

Who Wins?

This is such a tough game to predict; I could honestly see it going either way. Both teams are among the top in football, with momentum coming from both ends. However, though New England has been fantastic on the road this season, I think Tampa Bay will escape very narrowly.

I truly believe this has game-of-the-year potential for both teams written all over it. Both Mayfield and Maye have been brilliant all season long, which I do not think changes this week. Yet, when it comes down to the trenches, the Bucs simply just have more experience and a more proven track record over a longer period of time.

With that said, this will not be a game that will spark fraudulent talks in New England, but rather a game that proves the Pats can compete at the highest level. What it will do, however, is prove the point that the team maybe should have done a bit more to get a trade deal done at the trade deadline. Regardless, this matchup will be extremely fun to watch and a learning experience for the Patriots.

I am going to predict a 35-28 victory for the Buccaneers.