What NFL experts are saying about tonight’s Patriots-Bucs game
Three days.
If the impossible does somehow end up coming to fruition later this season, a far-fetched scenario in which the New England Patriots are fighting for their playoff lives, feel free to potentially point the finger at this idiotic wrinkle in the NFL schedule.
Four days after watching their defense act more confused than John Farrell forced into a double switch, the defending Super Bowl champs are, somehow, supposed to rebound after a mere three days of practice and preparation.
We know Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it wasn’t but in three either.
So, just in case the Patriots find themselves in a battle for the AFC East with the first-place — ha — Buffalo Bills later in the 2017 campaign, it will be easy to place some of the blame on the the NFL’s highly-mocked insistence to deliver its product on Thursday nights. As far as game plans go, how can even Bill Belichick plan for little more than having his offense at least put up 60 if it has any chance of coming home with a win? Fix the defense? In three days?
When’s Jay Cutler on the schedule? Now, THAT the Patriots could use right about now.
This week’s picks:
Tampa Tribune staff: Five out of six pick the Patriots. Writer Tom Jones picks the Buccaneers, 37-34: “To beat the Pats, the Bucs are going to have to score at least 30. That doesn’t seem to be much of a problem for most Pats opponents this season. Martin is back. Winston will find Jackson a lot more. And Evans, O.J. Howard and Cam Brate will have big nights.”
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Patriots 34, Buccaneers 23. “Beyond prime time, this game feels special because the defending champion Patriots are making their first visit to Tampa Bay since 1997. New England arrives with its worst defense through four games – an average of 32 points and 457 yards allowed – in the Bill Belichick era. The Pats also arrive with a still really great offense led by a good-as-ever Tom Brady. So the question isn’t so much if Brady will outscore the other team as it is whether he’ll outscore his own defense. The answer here: Yes. I have too much faith in the Patriots’ sustained success to see them 2-3. I also believe the Buccaneers’ injury-depleted linebacking should make it a big night for Rob Gronkowski and Brady slicing up the Bucs with underneath stuff.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 31, Buccaneers 30. “This Patriots team has major defensive issues. They can’t stop anybody. The Bucs haven’t been great so far, but on a short week at home they have a big edge. Even so, I think Tom Brady will put up a number here. Pats take it in a close one.”
CBS Sports staff: Five out of eight pick Tampa Bay (plus 5 1/2 Bucs). Five out of eight pick the Pats straight-up.
David Steele, Sporting News: Buccaneers 31, Patriots 29. “Only the Colts, who have given up multiple touchdowns off turnovers this season, have given up more points this season than the Patriots. New England’s defense, which gave up the fewest yards in the NFL last season, is giving up the most now. The unit and the coaches will get the benefit of the doubt for quite a while. Jameis Winston and the Bucs’ offense gets Doug Martin back from suspension this week. It’s a short week. This has Bucs party written all over it.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 34, Buccaneers 27. “New England wouldn’t lose two in a row, would it? A defensive mess on the back end isn’t exactly what you want when facing a red-hot Jameis Winston on the road and on a short week. But the solace here is the Buccaneers’ defense is riddled with injuries and even shakier back seven play in coverage. Tom Brady does his dropback often thing and comes through this time with a late TD to out-duel Winston.”
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston: Tampa Bay. “Only the Patriots could make you even think about going the other way with this, after the trainwreck of a defensive performance we saw on Sunday. But only the Patriots have a knack for somehow turning those catastrophic-looking losses into springboards that send them on to a Super Bowl? I don’t know, it’s very confusing and quite distressing to try to determine when that sharp turn happens.”
Jimmy Kempski, Philly Voice: Patriots. “It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Patriots begin the season at 2-3. The Pats will find a way to spread MRSA into the Bucs’ locker room or something, if need be.”
Five Thirty Eight: New England with a 61 percent chance of winning.
SB Nation staff: Seven out of nine pick New England.
ESPN.com staff: Only Trey Wingo takes the Bucs.
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: Patriots 26, Buccaneers 24. “Back in the spring, I had the Bucs upsetting the Patriots in this game. My reasoning then was that New England would be undefeated and fall flat against the pesky Tampa defense. Well, that clearly hasn’t played out like I envisioned. The Buccaneers’ defensive unit isn’t the same without Lavonte David, who injured his ankle in Tampa Bay’s Week 3 flop at Minnesota. The Bucs haven’t put forward strong performances on that side of the ball in their last two outings. As weak as the Pats’ defense has been, this Week 5 matchup could turn into a track meet. Usually, Thursday night games don’t.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 27, Buccaneers 23. “The Bucs aren’t quite ready for prime time, and they’re definitely not ready to outscore a more-determined-than-ever Tom Brady. Defensive issues may not be fixed in four days, but Belichick can do enough to make it better, even in a short week.”
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 27, Buccaneers 21. “This is a tough one. The Bucs have been the better team so far this season, but I just can’t believe the Patriots’ defense will be as bad all year as it was in September. I see a turnaround coming for New England, starting tonight.
It says here: Patriots 31, Buccaneers 10. Watching the defense rebound after only three days of preparation might be akin to a football miracle. But who better to pull that off than the team that has delivered many a marvel, particularly when early-season concerns begin to drown in their prematurity.
If not…panic.
