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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The first battle between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady goes to the quarterback. With one minute to go, kicker Nick Folk’s 56-yard field goal attempt in the New England rain wasn’t a good one, earning a 19-17 win at the Buccaneers on Brady’s maiden trip to Gillette Stadium. since leaving the organization as a free agent. in spring 2020.
After being led by one with 4:34 left in the game, Brady was able to move the Buccaneers’ offense 45 yards down the field to set up a Ryan Succop basket to put Tampa Bay ahead. At this point, Bruce Arians’ defense was able to fend off the New England offense by setting up a more manageable field goal attempt with the clock under a minute away. Brady ended his night by completing 22 of his 43 shots for 269 yards.
While the Buccaneers managed to come out on top, it was a valiant effort for the Patriots, especially rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who at one point made 19 straight passes. Jones completed 31 of 40 assists for 275, two touchdowns and one interception.
Ahead of the game, Brady was honored with a one-minute video tribute from the Patriots, highlighting his many accomplishments with the franchise. The Gillette Stadium video board also acknowledged when Brady passed Drew Brees to become the NFL’s all-time leading passer early in the first quarter with an assist to Mike Evans.
Why the Buccaneers won
The Patriots made just enough mistakes to give them an opening and they took advantage of it. Jones threw an interception. JJ Taylor lost a fumble. Special teams ace Matthew Slater committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that canceled a punt and fumble. Facing 14-13 and 17-16 deficits in the fourth quarter, Brady crafted back-to-back field goal hoops that totaled 22 plays, 113 yards and took 9 minutes and 36 seconds combined. In the game’s greatest moment, star Tampa defenseman Lavonte David made a huge play and forced the Patriots to make the tough decision to choose between fourth and third just inside the 40-line. yards or a 56. -field goal. They chose the latter, and the Football Gods smiled at the Buccaneers this time around.
Why the Patriots lost
They didn’t take advantage of the Buccaneers’ offensive struggles. Tampa had just six points from five practices in the first half, but the Patriots could only manage a 7-6 lead at the break. The Pats limited Brady to just 6.3 yards per attempt when he completed just 22 of 43 passes, but the Patriots gave up several crucial conversions on third down and took unusual penalties at inappropriate times. They also made some confusing decisions to return the ball to Tampa. Given two chances to hold a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Pats let Brady go down the field to regain the lead each time.
Turning
For a game that has been a back-and-forth affair throughout the evening, it’s hard to pick just one turn. In the end, we went for a game that isn’t necessarily typical of what you’d expect from Brady, but was a huge boost for his team when they needed it most.
Facing third and sixth from his own 42-yard line, Brady slipped through the pocket as he was under pressure. And then he sprinted as fast as he could (which isn’t that fast these days) to pick up 7 yards and a first down.
Nine games later, the Buccaneers took a two-point lead from a field goal by Succop. That lead wouldn’t hold, as Jones led the Pats on a penalty shootout on possession that followed, but it did allow Tampa to regain the lead once and for all in the last competitive run of the night.
Game play
Can I interest you in a little trickery? Having already made a back pass earlier in the game, the Patriots pulled off a Philly Special-style reverse pass from wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. A high school quarterback, Meyers hit Nelson Agholor in stride for a 30-yard gain on the straight sideline.
The Pats broke the game on one of the biggest practices in the game, and the wide receiver to wide receiver pitch was reminiscent of those Julian Edelman made in the past. Practice ended when New England scored a basket to take a lead at the end of the fourth quarter. They eventually gave up on that lead, but it was an impressive game nonetheless.
Tips
Brady became the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader, passing Drew Brees on a 28-yard run to Mike Evans early in the game. There was supposed to be some sort of recognition of the record, but because this was a game where the ball was advanced a yard after it was initially spotted, all that happened was a brief graphic appeared on the Jumbotron behind the end zone.
Jones at one point finished 19 consecutive assists, tying the Patriots all-time record. This is the most consecutive goals for a rookie quarterback in at least 30 years.
And after?
The Buccaneers are now 3-1 and take first place in NFC South, via the tiebreaker against the Panthers. After playing back-to-back road games, the Bucs welcome the Dolphins to Raymond James Stadium next Sunday.
The Patriots are now 1-3 and in third place in the AFC East, virtually tied with the Dolphins and Jets, two games behind the Bills. After playing back-to-back home games against opponents from the NFC South, they travel to Houston to face the Texans in Week 5.
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