Photo Courtesy: Marc Choquette
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots
Sunday – October 3 – 7:20 p.m.
TV: NBC
Gillette Stadium, Foxboro – MA
Records Before the Game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1, 0-1 Away)
New England Patriots (1-2, 0-2 Home)
The world will be watching this game. “Brady versus Belichick” is what this game is being titled. When you spend 20 years with an organization there will be ups and downs, but who really knows the history between those two except those two. Let’s take a look at this Sunday night AFC versus NFC match up.
Who really cares?
The world cares because these two guys were on top of the world together. Tom left and won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay which left egg on the faces of the Patriots organization. This game will prove who was right or wrong in New England.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The world expects the Bucs to run the table and make it back to the Super Bowl. They were an automatic lock for the big game with quality wins over the Cowboys and Falcons; then Tampa Bay ran into a Rams team that didn’t care about how terrific Tom is. This week Tom Brady is looking to bounce back and get a win on the road in Foxboro. Tampa Bay has to establish the run because their receivers are banged up or not producing like they did last year. Tampa’s defense will need to apply pressure on Mac Jones and force him into throwing into double coverage. Look for Tampa Bay to bounce back this week plain and simple.
New England Patriots
What do you expect from a team that’s rebuilding? I see this team winning six games this season at the most. It’s the talent that they are putting on the field. Give these guys a few years and the Patriots will bounce back. Quarterback Mac Jones will take his lumps and grow into a decent signal caller, but this week will be another test in his young career. The Patriots will need to involve the tight ends and throw some passes to their slot receivers to move the ball down field.
Prediction
ESPN has the Buccaneers with a 56.6% chance of winning on the road. Defense will be key for both teams. If the Patriots get to Brady and disrupts his timing they can beat the champs. Study the tape from last week between the Rams and Bucs and its a possibility. I’m taking the Bucs by 12!
Final Score
Buccaneers – 31
Patriots – 19
