Intriguing Game, NFL Week Four
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots
Buccaneers: Sunday in Los Angeles was the worst I’ve seen them look since that beat down they took at the hands of the New Orleans Saints last November. First, the running game was absent and they couldn’t establish anything on the ground against that stingy Rams defense and secondly, Tom threw the football 55 times. I understand he can spin it all over the field but throwing it that many times won’t necessarily cut it. The champs were punched in the mouth, plain and simple and they could never recover. I kept saying their secondary problems would continue to bite them in the you know what. Let me be honest about something here. This Bucs defense is nowhere near close to the one that shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense in Super Bowl 55. That unit before the playoffs got hot when it mattered the most and they didn’t look back. Now, I see miscommunication issues and if you want to attack this team, you are better off throwing the ball instead of running it because they are still stout in shutting down the ground attack. That much I’ll give them. They were clamp down and make you a one-dimensional football team. Prior to their loss on Sunday in LA, Tampa had won ten in a row dating back to last season. They will look to bounce back this week. It’s a big game of some sorts in case you didn’t hear about it.
Patriots: This is year two of L.A.T (Life After Tom). For the first time since 2008, they missed the playoffs. If we’re being realistic, they were always a team you could pencil in to make it to January, but not last season. They approached this off-season differently because they were active in free agency and they needed weapons on the perimeter. You can only work with what you have on your team for so long. The one thing I’ve been known to say about the Patriots is they will forever remain in their box. If they don’t have a deep threat receiver (as they didn’t for some years), they will stick with a short and intermediate passing attack as you always saw during the glory years. So, what exactly has gone wrong for New England this year? I said this after their first game with the Dolphins. They don’t capitalize on opportunities as they once did. I’ve seen so many third and short chances for them and I see them throw the football instead of running it which makes no sense to me. On Sunday against the Saints, Mac Jones really looked like a rookie. To help the young quarterback, I’ve said on the radio that in order for them to succeed, they must rely on an old school game plan. Running the ball, playing consistent defense and winning in special teams. The Saints bottled the run up and dared the rookie to beat them and he threw three interceptions. Tonight, they will welcome a familiar face to Gillette.
Buccaneers X-Factor: Chris Godwin– If you’ve come to know Bill Belichick over the years, what has been his mantra on defense? He takes away the opponents’ top offensive player. I’m expecting Bill to have Mike Evans eliminated from most of this game unless Byron Leftwich tries to incorporate him in different ways. When Tom signed with the Bucs, I was excited for Chris the most because he’s that smaller receiver that Tom enjoys getting the football too, but he can go over the top. Look for him to make his mark in this one tonight.
Patriots X-Factor: Jakobi Meyers– This is who Mac likes to connect with. Jakobi has become that safety valve for the rookie quarterback. On third down situations, this is the guy he looks to target. I like his shiftiness. He’s a sneaky receiver who can get behind your coverage if you don’t attend to him as a defense. If you play zone, he’ll find that sweet spot in space and attack. Tampa must circle in on him and do all they can to try and take him away. Make him a non-factor.
Final Thoughts: When the schedules came out in May, the minute I saw this game on the schedule, I knew this was being previewed regardless of how either team was doing. For the first time in an iconic 22-year career, Tom Brady will be at Gillette Stadium this time as a visitor. Two things can take place in this game. The first is Tom becoming the all-time yards leader in passing. This will happen because he only needs 68 yards to accomplish this. The second is become just the fourth quarterback ever to defeat all 32 NFL teams. Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are the first three quarterbacks to accomplish this. Both teams are great against the run. New England needs to take a page out the Rams book and allow Mac to throw the ball quickly. Give him time to throw. Attack this Tampa secondary. For the Bucs, I’m throwing all the pressure I can at Mac. I see Bill throwing different looks at Tom throughout. Tampa will be up and ready for this game.
Prediction: Buccaneers 30, Patriots 20
