Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By The Crow’s Nest Staff
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 28-23 to the New England Patriots in Week 10, making their record 6-3.
Despite the team’s passing yards, it wasn’t enough to translate into a win.
Tampa Bay’s quarterback Baker Mayfield went 28 out of 43 with 273 yards and three touchdown passes, as well as no interceptions. The play allowed Tampa Bay a chance to be in striking distance all day, but they just couldn’t come through when it mattered most.
“Just didn’t execute well enough,” Mayfield stated. “Got to do all the little things right, especially in big situations. It’s just a game of inches, and when you’re playing a good team like the Patriots, little things will beat you, and that’s what happened to us as an offense today.”
The wide receiver, Emeka Egbuka, gained a total of 115 yards with a touchdown. Tight end Cade Otton saw a consistent stream of passes as he gained a total of 82 yards, and wide receiver Tez Johnson caught four passes, resulting in 42 yards and two touchdowns.
Head coach Todd Bowles repeated Mayfield’s sentiment, saying that he “needs to see improvement, both play-wise and schematically.”
“It was four big plays,” Bowles went on.
“We didn’t play well in all three phases, so we didn’t have any rhythm on offense, we didn’t have any rhythm on defense, and we didn’t have any rhythm on special teams,” Bowles went on to explain. “You have to credit the Patriots, they were one of the reasons, but we’ve got to fix the things we can control,” he continued. “We’ve got to coach it better and play it better.”
New England starting quarterback, Drake Maye, connected 16 out of 31 passes, resulting in 270 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Running back TreVeyon Henderson was the backbone, breaking down the Tampa Bay defensive unit with 147 yards out of 14 carries, including two touchdowns, including a 69-yard game-sealing touchdown deep into the fourth quarter.
The leading receiver, Mack Hollins, caught a team-high 106 yards’ worth of passes, including a 72-yard touchdown by wide receiver Kyle Williams, as well as five receptions by wide receiver Stefon Diggs for 46 yards and one touchdown.
The loss was a tough one for the Buccaneers, who had a chance to make a statement win at home. Still, at 6-3, they remain in a good position atop the NFC South and will look to bounce back next week.
