SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

BY ADAM GREENE

It’s finally here, the game we’ve all had circled since Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa when the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady has a chance at a first in this one and after 22 years in the NFL, those don’t come often. There is just one NFL team out of the 32 in the league that Brady has never defeated; the Patriots. The reasons are obvious, but Brady still has the chance to put an “X” through the only blank spot on his resume.

There’s been plenty of talk around this game, including from Tom Brady’s dad to the point that the QB jokingly threatened to put him into a nursing home if he didn’t shut his yap.

This will just be the 10^th all time meeting between the two franchises and no one will be surprised to find that New England has the edge, 7-2. Their last match up was on Oct. 5, 2017, with the Patriots taking a 19-14 road win. Brady threw for 303 yards, one touchdown and a pick in that game.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-7, O/U: 52)

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.

Broadcast: NBC

Kickoff: Oct. 3, 8:20 p.m.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (2-1)

The Buccaneers come into this game with their asses stinging from a thorough kicking at the boots of the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. Brady was fine and battled in the loss, his first when passing for over 400 yards with no interceptions in the regular season in his career. But here’s why Tampa dropped the game; Brady led the team in rushing with 14 yards (and a score) and the defense surrendered 10 of 15 on third downs and six consecutive scoring drives that put the game out of reach.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-2)

The bloom is certainly off the rose for rookie quarterback Mac Jones and any thought that the Patriots would sneak into the playoffs with their first-year signal caller are evaporating fast. While Jones looked good in the preseason and finished as one of its top rated passers, the regular season is an entirely different animal and so far, it’s mauled up Jones pretty good. Last week, in a 28-13 loss at home to the New Orleans Saints, Jones finished 30 of 51 for 270 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Like Brady with the Bucs, he too led his team in rushing with 28 yards and, unless you’re Lamar Jackson, that’s an all but guaranteed “L.”

THE PICK

Brady has played a while, but by my math, in his 22 seasons, he’s only lost back-to-back games 11 times in his career. And that might not seem like a significant stat, but this is a dude that’s played in 10 Super Bowls and never had a losing season. So that doesn’t happen often. Brady is currently on a 13-game winning streak against first round rookie QBs and is 18-2 lifetime against them in his career. Go ahead and lock this one in before the line jumps. Buccaneers 33, Patriots 13

Last week

Straight up: 11-5

Against the spread: 10-6

Season

Straight up: 32-16

Against the spread: 26-22

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