Can the Patriots win streak continue against the Buccaneers?

Welcome to Season 14, Episode 10 of the Unconventional Preview, a severe but lighthearted, nostalgia-tinted take a look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup …

So we will agree that these principally boring and incessantly grim years whereas the Patriots crossed the rickety bridge to get from Tom Brady to Drake Maye have been all value it after which some, proper?

That most likely goes with out saying round right here, however in an try at some humility, Patriots followers should remind themselves that there are at a minimal 25, and doubtless as many as 31, fan bases within the NFL that don’t consider the Patriots suffered practically sufficient after 20 years of dominance.

Enduring a yr of Cam Newton, the sluggish meltdown of Mac Jones, and the ridiculous hope that Bailey Zappe was the reply is a really small worth to pay whereas ready for somebody reminiscent of Maye to point out up and, together with Mike Vrabel, revive the entire operation.

That it has labored out this manner for the Patriots is a soccer blessing. And with gunslinger Baker Mayfield and the NFC South-leading Buccaneers on the docket Sunday for a thoroughly intriguing matchup, it’s straightforward to consider all of the sliding-doors situations that might have altered this consequence alongside the way in which.

Right here’s one: Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels reportedly liked Mayfield popping out of Oklahoma within the 2018 NFL Draft. That’s straightforward to know — he was the No. 1 total decide, in spite of everything, going to the Browns. Circumstances weren’t proper for them to commerce for him at that time — Brady nonetheless had a sixth Tremendous Bowl to win as a Patriot.

However I do marvel about this: When Mayfield’s profession fell aside to the purpose that he was launched by the Panthers in December 2022, did Belichick take into account bringing him to Foxborough then?

It could have made a whole lot of sense, and maybe Foxborough would have been the scene of his personal revival. Had it occurred, the current histories of the Buccaneers — the place Mayfield discovered a soccer dwelling and his previous school mojo — and Patriots could be a lot totally different.

Kick it off, Borregales, and let’s get this factor began …

Three gamers value watching apart from the quarterbacks

Emeka Egbuka: The most recent arrival from the Ohio State huge receiver manufacturing unit, Egbuka leads all rookies in receiving yards (562), yards per catch (16.5), and touchdowns (5), whereas his 34 receptions path solely fellow first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan of the Panthers (41). Amongst all qualifying receivers, that 16.5 yards per catch is sweet for fifth within the NFL, trailing solely the Colts’ Alec Pierce (20.9), the Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte (18.7), the Titans’ Calvin Ridley (a stunning 18.1), and the Lions’ Jameson Williams (16.9).

The well-rounded Egbuka’s greatest sport got here in Week 5, when he caught all seven of his targets for 163 yards and a landing in a 38-35 win at Seattle. That was the primary sport that the Buccaneers have been with out longtime stalwart Mike Evans, who was sidelined with a hamstring damage. Evans returned in Week 7 towards the Lions however suffered a concussion and damaged collarbone and will miss the remainder of the season.

In Evans’s absence, Egbuka has obtained further consideration from opposing defenses, and he struggled within the three video games previous to the Buccaneers bye final week. From Weeks 6-8, he had 9 catches on 25 targets for 117 yards.

Will Campbell: The Patriots merely should do a greater job of defending Maye, and he should do a greater job of defending himself. Maye has been sacked 34 occasions, second-most within the league, and 12 of these have come over the previous two weeks. Even factoring in that 5 of these sacks have been courtesy of the ferocious Myles Garrett, that’s method too many.

It’s not going to get simpler Sunday towards a blitz-happy Buccaneers protection that ranks eighth within the league with 25 sacks. Campbell has a troublesome project in Anthony Nelson who, filling in for injured finish Haason Reddick towards the Saints two weeks in the past, earned NFC Defensive Participant of the Week honors after amassing two sacks, forcing a fumble, and returning an interception for a landing.

Nelson’s pick-6 got here off his personal deflection, and he’s the type of rusher who might give Campbell — maybe you’ve heard about his arm size? — a day of bother.

Lavonte David: Take into account this a tribute to one of many NFL’s elder statesmen, and one who remains to be getting it accomplished on sport day.

David, now 35 and in his 14th season with the Buccaneers, is one among eight members of the Tremendous Bowl LV champions remaining with the franchise. He’s the fifth-oldest defensive participant within the league (Cardinals sort out Calais Campbell, 39, is the oldest) and was drafted within the second spherical in 2012, the identical yr the Patriots took Dont’a Hightower and Chandler Jones within the first spherical.

David stays an integral a part of the Buccaneers’ aggressive protection, rating third on the group with 57 tackles, together with six for loss. He’s added 2½ sacks (third on the group), an interception, two passes defensed, and a fumble restoration, whereas enjoying 97 p.c of the snaps.

The flashback

Initially, it’s a disgrace this isn’t a throwback week. Pat Patriot vs. Bucco Bruce (sure, that’s the title of the swashbuckling fella on the creamsicle Buccaneers’ unique helmets). Uniform matchups don’t get any higher than that.

The Patriots and Buccaneers don’t have a whole lot of historical past, save for Tampa Bay borrowing the best quarterback in NFL historical past for a few years. Tom Brady spent three years with the Buccaneers, went 32-18-1, threw for 14,643 yards and 108 touchdowns, and gained a Tremendous Bowl. It’s each humorous and a bummer that he’s the best quarterback in that franchise’s historical past, too.

This would be the eleventh assembly between the Patriots and Buccaneers, with the Patriots successful seven. The Buccaneers gained the final matchup, 19-17, on Oct. 3, 2021 — otherwise and forever known as Brady’s Return.

For some cause, revisiting Brady’s return jostled a dormant reminiscence of a Patriots-Buccaneers sport of a lot much less magnitude, and one performed below very totally different circumstances.

I’m not even speaking a few regular-season sport, however reasonably a matchup earlier than the 2000 season, Belichick’s first as Patriots coach and Brady’s first as a Patriot after being chosen within the sixth spherical out of Michigan.

Twenty-five years later, Brady have to be thought-about the best decide in skilled sports activities historical past, particularly relative to draft place. However then, he was only a scrawny rookie looking for a spot on a depth chart that had three quarterbacks — Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz, and sports-radio favourite Michael Bishop — forward of him.

The Patriots misplaced, 31-21, to the Buccaneers of their fourth sport of that preseason. Bishop performed the complete second half, finishing 7 of 17 passes for 157 yards. Brady didn’t play.

However he had yet one more likelihood to point out what he might do. Again then, groups performed an absurd 5 preseason video games. And Brady regarded sharp within the finale, a 29-21 win over the Panthers. Nick Cafardo, the Patriots beat author on the time, used the ultimate merchandise in his pocket book to acknowledge Brady’s state of affairs:

“It seems Friesz performed properly sufficient to maintain his spot, although rookie Tom Brady went 9 for 13 for 97 yards and a landing. The Patriots have some fascinating selections to make. One might embody Brady occurring the observe squad if he clears waivers.”

When Belichick made last cuts a couple of days later, the most important names let go have been veteran working again Raymont Harris and security Chris Carter. The child QB had made the membership.

Wrote Cafardo: “One key determination by Belichick was to maintain all 4 of his quarterbacks, Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz, Michael Bishop, and rookie Tom Brady, who threw the ball properly sufficient in exhibition video games to recommend he could have a future within the NFL.”

He certain did. A future nobody would have dared think about.

Grievance of the week

Don’t learn about you, however I discovered myself, oh, mildly aggrieved come 4:01 p.m. Tuesday, when it turned clear that the feel-good, ahead-of-schedule Patriots had not added anyone earlier than the commerce deadline.

Don’t take this as a suggestion that they need to have taken an enormous swing and, say, traded a first-round decide or two to profit from the Jets’ newest fireplace sale. However it could have been worthwhile to do one thing, or a few somethings, to get some complementary assist.

The depth chart is skinny at a number of positions — edge rusher, security, and working again chief amongst them. The Patriots had comparatively good well being by the primary two months, however accidents to essential gamers reminiscent of Rhamondre Stevenson are beginning to crop up.

The Patriots are slated to have as many as 12 picks within the 2026 draft. These picks embody two fourth-rounders and three sixth-rounders. That’s a whole lot of capital.

I wouldn’t have needed the Patriots to commerce a decide within the first three rounds. The smaller hope was that they might make a transfer or two for reinforcements like they did in 2014, after they introduced in linebackers Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas, or 2016, after they despatched a sixth-rounder to the Lions for linebacker Kyle Van Noy and a seventh.

As an alternative, no trades have been made. The Patriots did add Brenden (Son of Jerry) Rice to the observe squad. Possibly he’ll become one thing, however all that does for the second is remind us that the Patriots traded the first-round decide that the 49ers used on his dad again in 1985. Now that’s an everlasting grievance.

Prediction, or it’s a superb factor Chris Godwin stated no to the Patriots in free company …

The Patriots, who common 26.3 factors per sport, seventh within the league, can win a shootout in the event that they defend the ball higher than they did final week towards the Falcons. However their pass-protection points mixed with the Buccaneers’ relentless rush looks as if a recipe for a turnover or two.

Plus, the Buccaneers are rested and at dwelling. This seems to be the place the Patriots’ six-game successful streak involves an finish. Buccaneers 27, Patriots 24.

Chad Finn

Sports activities columnist

Chad Finn is a sports activities columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Favourite Sports activities Author in Boston within the annual Channel Media Market and Analysis Ballot for the previous 4 years. He additionally writes a weekly sports activities media column for the Globe and contributes to Globe Journal.