TreVeyon Henderson delivered the dagger, Drake Maye augmented his MVP resume, and the Patriots have stretched their winning streak to seven games -- tied for their longest ever when someone other than Tom Brady has been quarterback — with a 28-23 win over Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers.
In an absolute rollercoaster of a game, Maye appeared to have delivered a potential nail in the coffin with a 54-yard pass to Mack Hollins to convert a third-and-14 halfway through the fourth quarter. But three plays later, Tykee Smith made a wonderful diving interception in the end zone to set up Mayfield — who already has an NFL-high four game-winning drives — and the Buccaneers' offense.
Instead, New England delivered a crucial stop, swarming Mayfield and then Rachaad White for a loss on fourth and 3. Two plays later, Henderson sealed it with his second touchdown of the afternoon.
Henderson finished with 150 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, continuing his midseason surge. Maye threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns as well as the interception. Mayfield finished with 273 passing yards and three scores, including a late one to Tez Johnson to get the score back within a single possession, but Stefon Diggs recovered the ensuing onside kick to end any hopes of yet another Tampa Bay comeback.
Coaches often talk about winning the minutes on both sides of halftime, and the Patriots did just that. After a Chase McLaughlin field goal put Tampa Bay ahead 10-7, the Patriots embarked on a 14-play, 78 yard drive capped by Diggs' toe-tapping touchdown catch on fourth-and-goal as time expired in the first half.
The Patriots then got the first possession coming out of halftime, and Henderson ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run. In less than a minute, the Patriots had turned a 10-7 deficit into a 21-10 lead, and though things got hairy between then and the finish line, they were able to ultimately come through.
Now 8-2, New England is well clear of the 6-3 Bills in the AFC East after Buffalo suffered a shocking loss to the Dolphins. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, fall to 6-3 and need to emerge out of a bit of a midseason offensive funk.
It is remarkable how much things can change in one season. Last year, the Patriots were a youthful, overmatched bunch, from Maye to his awful supporting cast to an overwhelmed defense to even first-year coach Jerod Mayo.
It's safe to say they're all grown up now.
Save for the Tykee Smith interception, Maye delivered yet another strong performance. Though the box score isn't overwhelming, Maye made several big plays behind crumbling pockets.
Henderson's stat line speaks for itself, and Christian Gonzalez also performed well. Egbuka still finished with a big day (six catches, 115 yards, one touchdown), but it took him 13 targets to get there. In Maye, Henderson and left tackle Will Capmbell, the Patriots have an impressive young offensive core.
Then there are the veterans, like Diggs (five catches, 46 yards, one touchdown) and Hollins (six catches, 106 yards). There's also a heavy influence of veterans on defense: Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis, Milton Williams, Harold Landry, K'Lavon Chaisson. And of course there's veteran coach Mike Vrabel overseeing it all.
Rhamondre Stevenson had controlled the New England backfield for much of the season, but his toe injury has now cost him two straight games. Henderson, the ballyhooed second-round pick out of Ohio State was relegated to second- and even third-string work. He had just 252 yards from scrimmage through his first seven games,
In the last three weeks, he has 312 yards from scrimmage. Stevenson can be a bruiser, but he cannot deliver plays like the one that basically ended the game or the one below:
That's the Henderson that was on display so often as a Buckeye. Given Maye's ability to produce big plays in the air plus his scrambling ability, adding Henderson's explosiveness makes things even more difficult for opponents.
Injuries to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving are really starting to cause problems for Tampa Bay. From Weeks 3-6, the Buccaneers scored at least 25 points in every game. They have not scored more than 23 in a game since. Irving adds an explosiveness out of the backfield that White, who is a solid player, simply doesn't. Without Evans, there aren't as many big playmakers out wide; after Egbuka, Cade Otton (nine catches, 82 yards on 12 targets) was Mayfield's favorite target, but much of that work comes on short and intermediate throws.
Godwin (fibula) hasn't played in over a month. Neither has Irving (toe/shoulder). Evans (collarbone) will be out for most if not all of the rest of the regular season. There just aren't enough answers, personnel-wise, at the moment.
Chase McLaughlin hit a great onside kick with a great high bounce, but Diggs was sure-handed on the recovery.
New England is now 8-2. Tampa Bay falls to 6-3.
Mayfield throws an absolute dart to Johnson, their second touchdown connection today, but now the Buccaneers to recover the onside kick.
There's that game-breaking speed again. Henderson goes 69 yards to the end zone two plays after New England got a huge stop, and that'll be all she wrote.
Maye has been terrific today, but this is a brutal turnover.
Does Baker Mayfield have another comeback in him?
What a play! Maye throws a beautiful 57-yarder to Mack Hollins right as he's about to get crunched. Just an absolutely beautiful throw from one of the league's premier downfield passers.
How good has he been today?
Baker Mayfield appeared to find Cade Otton for a 29-yard pass to convert a fourth-and-3, but the referees called offensive pass interference on Sterling Shepard on a mesh route. Marte Mapu -- the defender Shepared ran into -- was injured on the play. Tampa Bay punted.
Mike Vrabel has taken a few chances in this game, and it came back to bit him here. On a fourth-and-5 from near midfield, he kept the offense on the field, and Zyon McCollum broke up a pass intended for Stefon Diggs. It's a turnover on downs, and Tampa Bay has a short field with a chance to capitalize.
Maye has been OUTSTANDING under pressure today, and this is the latest example: He somehow avoided Vita Vea and then found Mack Hollins to convert a third-and-7. Maye had four Buccaneers defenders around him.
That's a huge answer for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had just a single field goal over their previous five drives before this pitch and catch.
Nice job by Mayfield to extend the play and Johnson to extend his route.
Emeka Egbuka got stopped on a "Philly Special"-esque two-point conversion try, though, so New England is still up five.
Tampa Bay is on a good drive here with the running game finally getting going and Baker Mayfield getting some throws downfield to Emeka Egbuka and Cade Otton. After a mid-game lull, the Buccaneers need to cash in here as they've driven into the red zone.
This would be a big loss if Barmore's injury is serious; he's been a huge part of the Patriots' much-improved run defense.
The Patriots have 143 yards on their last two drives, both of which resulted in touchdowns. In between, the Buccaneers had a quick, short drive. The Patriots are up 21-10 and looking for more.
Hello, TreVeyon Henderson! The Patriots' rookie running back just took off on a 55-yard touchdown sprint, nearly untouched. New England has scored 14 points in under a minute.
Now that is Stefon Diggs at his finest. A beautiful catch here on the final play from scrimmage of the first half.
New England played with fire there: It purposely didn't score on the first play to run the time down and not allow Tampa Bay to get the ball back. But then the Patriots got stopped twice at the 1-yard line before Diggs made this great play.
Mayfield found Egbuka for another big gain -- this time 31 yards on an in-breaking route -- but the Patriots defense stiffened, and Chase McLaughlin knocked in a 36-yard field goal.
Egbuka is already up to three catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots entered this week as the No. 7 scoring team in the NFL, and the Buccaneers are No. 15. But both defenses have been solid so far; Drake Maye is just 5 for 12, though one of those five was the big 72-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams.
Hello, Kyle Williams! Drake Maye finds Kyle Williams, and Williams bursts past the defense.
Truly an outstanding throw by Maye, who got hit immediately after releasing the ball. Williams hadn't had a catch since Week 3, but with no Kayshon Boutte, he's going to get opportunities, and he made the most of this one.
The Patriots have eight carries for 25 yards, but 16 of those yards came on one TreVeyon Henderson run. Otherwise, there's been basically nothing for New England, leading to a lot of long down and distances. The Patriots have just 44 yards on 15 plays so far overall.
Michael Jordan is in for Bredeson.
With no Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka should get a ton of work, and he has done exactly that from the very start. A big 24-yard catch on the second play from scrimmage and then this 21-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers went 65 yards in six plays and made it look easy.
The Buccaneers start with the ball.
Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) and Christian Elliss (hip) were all previously ruled out. Could another big day for TreVeyon Henderson be in store?
The Buccaneers have some big names out, but Luke Goedeke's return could be a big one. The standout right tackle hasn't played since Week 2 due to a foot injury, but he's back. A significant development for Baker Mayfield and the running game.
