New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Final Score: Patriots 28, Buccaneers 23
Writer: Griffey Geiss (@ggeiss_mlb and @ggeiss_PL on Twitter)
This was a great game between two playoff-destined football teams. The Bucs came out early, driving into New England territory and scoring. Then, the Patriots answered with buzzer-beater scores ending the first and second quarters. They also opened up the third quarter with a score. By that time, New England’s defense was on point, essentially winning the game. TreVeyon Henderson broke out in a big way rushing the ball for nearly 150 yards in lieu of Rhamondre Stevenson’s injury. Drake Maye got MVP chants on the road in Tampa Bay. Emeka Egbuka proved once more why he may be the best player in last year’s draft. And the Patriots proved in yet another matchup why they should be taken very seriously. They are a contender in 2025.
Three Up
- TreVeyon Henderson — Best performance on the ground of his career BY FAR.
- Emeka Egbuka — Has proven day in and day out he’s the best WR to come out of last year’s draft class. His performance against the Pats’ defense was no exception.
- Mack Hollins — Another solid day receiving for the well-utilized Swiss army knife wideout.
One Down
- Rhamondre Stevenson — Missing back-to-back games with a toe injury may end up being very costly to his time remaining in New England.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Drake Maye: 16/31, 270 Yards, 2 TDs, INT | 7 Carries, 13 Yards
Drake Maye was solid for the most part against a really tough Todd Bowles defense. While Maye wasn’t his usual efficient self, he led his team downfield and made multiple big throws leading his team to victory. He was also smart about running the ball, backing off, sliding, or taking the ball out of bounds instead of risking unnecessary contact. He made some poor throws in the beginning (see below) and might’ve had a few more completions with quicker reads, but Maye is in the MVP conversation for a reason, and that was on display Sunday.
Maye’s interception was in the red zone after getting rocked in the head on the sideline. He was targeting Hunter Henry on a busted play. It wasn’t an ideal read, trying to force something, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve seen. A learning experience for Maye.
Missed Opportunities
- Three (yes, three) consecutive overthrows to Mack Hollins on the Patriots’ first drive.
- Quicker read to Stefon Diggs on fourth down would’ve generated a 5-yard completion and converted on fourth down.
- Overthrew Kyle Williams and/or DeMario Douglas on a deep ball.
- 6-yard completion to Douglas called back.
Running Back
TreVeyon Henderson: 14 Carries, 147 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
This was by far and away the best I’ve seen TreVeyon Henderson run. If you’ve followed my coverage all year, I’ve been screaming from the mountaintops to just give Henderson the ball and watch his explosiveness take over. That was surely the case Sunday.
His speed and agility sets him apart. While he’s seen a good number of his touches on the outside (and for good reason), Henderson found success in the interior against the Bucs, breaking away for a 55-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter. Later on, he had a hilarious 69-yard touchdown on the ground where he still had time to ask the sideline if he could score or not. You don’t see that every day!
While he couldn’t cash in, Henderson was also (finally!) given a bunch of red-zone and goal-line carries. It’s safe to say that with Rhamondre Stevenson out these past two weeks, Henderson has made the most of his opportunity. I speak for all Henderson owners when I say hopefully this is a trend that continues throughout the remainder of the season.
Missed Opportunities
- Intentionally did not score on one goal-line rush attempt to keep the clock moving.
Terrell Jennings: 4 carries, 5 yards
D’Ernest Johnson: 1 carry, 1 yard
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mack Hollins: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 106 Yards
Mack Hollins has been a huge part of this team, whether you find his name at the top of the box score or not. After generating just 119 yards through the Patriots’ first seven games (17 yards per game), he’s totaled 204 receiving yards over the last three. Hollins’ blocking ability led to a Henderson touchdown late in the game as well.
Kyle Williams: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 72 Yards, TD
The Patriots and coach Mike Vrabel stated they wanted to get Kyle Williams more involved in the coming weeks. With breakout wideout Kayshon Boutte out dealing with a hamstring injury, this week seemed like the perfect time.
Williams tallied his first reception since Week 3 against Pittsburgh on what was a beautiful all-around play call. Maye canned the play, called “alert,” and, with Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean subbed off the field, targeted the new, backup corner. Williams then hauled in a dot from Maye and proceeded to show off his wheels, beating everyone to the end zone as time expired in the first quarter.
It also happened to be his first career touchdown. Congratulations!
Stefon Diggs: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards, TD
Stefon Diggs was an integral part of Sunday’s win. He’s not generating that elite WR1 volume we’ve seen him turn in throughout recent years, but he’s certainly making a positive mark on this offense, especially on his young QB. Diggs’ score Sunday marks three consecutive games with a touchdown … a beautiful toe tap on a backside fade on fourth-and-goal to close out the first half.
DeMario Douglas: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 34 Yards
DeMario Douglas remains a quiet part of New England’s game plan. While he may not provide much fantasy value, Douglas has found himself a role in New England’s offense after a rough start to the year.
Hunter Henry: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Hunter Henry has seen his production considerably regress in recent weeks thanks to the handful of Patriots pass catchers Maye has been able to sprinkle the ball to. He still has fantasy value — Maye loves to target Henry in high-leverage situations and in the red zone — but don’t expect him to turn in TE1 numbers week to week.
Austin Hooper: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Jack Westover: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 28/43, 273 Yards, 3 TDs
Baker Mayfield, without a few of his top weapons, looked poised under duress and willed his team back into the game, but it wasn’t enough. He was firing dots to receivers left and right at the beginning and end of the game, but the Patriots’ defense had the Bucs’ number multiple times throughout the middle portion of the game. Mayfield’s connection with rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka is special, targeting him 34 times over the past three weeks. This is something Bucs fans love to see for now and in the future, especially with the Mike Evans injury and doubtfulness looming with Chris Godwin sidelined once again.
Missed Opportunities
- 11-yard completion to Cade Otton taken back.
Running Back
Sean Tucker: 9 Carries, 53 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, -2 Yards
The Patriots entered Sunday allowing less than 50 yards on the ground to running backs in every game they’ve played this season. They’ve played a lot of talented backs, but it ended up being Sean Tucker who broke the streak. He was effective, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt with a long of 18 yards.
Rachaad White: 10 Carries, 38 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 16 Yards
Rachaad White served as the starter, but couldn’t amass anything too noteworthy on the ground. Instead, he made his mark as a pass catcher, hauling in all five of his targets. This marks three consecutive games where White has rushed for under 40 yards, but he does have 11 receptions on 13 targets over that span.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Emeka Egbuka: 13 Targets, 6 Receptions, 115 Yards, TD
Emeka Egbuka is something else. An unreal talent on the field. As mentioned above, Egbuka has been targeted a whopping 34 times over the past three weeks. He was everywhere on the field, and even against an elite corner in Christian Gonzalez, battled his way into a few receptions. Against a more favorable matchup, Egbuka could’ve easily been closer to 200 yards.
Cade Otton: 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 82 Yards
With multiple pass catchers missing time, Cade Otton has been instrumental in Tampa Bay’s success. He was targeted a season-high 12 times against the Patriots, continuing a positive trend in targets — he’s amassed 26 total over the past three weeks. Adding a touchdown to his line is the next thing I’d like to see Otton do to solidify himself in the tier of quality fantasy TE starters.
Tez Johnson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 42 Yards, 2 TDs
Tez Johnson had himself a ballgame. While there wasn’t much volume, he made all of his receptions matter. Two were for touchdowns, both on beautiful dots from Mayfield, and one additional reception was on a nifty sliding toe tap late in the game while the Bucs were making a comeback. He has 40 or more yards per game and four total touchdowns over the past four weeks — if that’s not waiver-wire worthy, I’m not sure what is.
Sterling Shepard: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards | 1 Carry, 11 Yards
Sterling Shepard was a hot commodity on the waiver wire, but with Johnson’s emergence in the offense, his production has seen a steady drop, turning in just one game with over 30 yards over the past six weeks and only one touchdown.
Kameron Johnson: 1 Target, 0 Receptions | 1 Carry, 11 Yards
Payne Durham: 1 Target, 0 Receptions