5 takeaways from the Patriots’ 19-14 win over Tampa Bay
COMMENTARY
Five takeaways from the Patriots’ 19-14 win over the Buccaneers on Thursday night in Tampa Bay:
TAKE THE WIN AND MOVE ON
Forget, for now, the notion of a “good win.” Or a “statement win.” This trip to Tampa Bay was for the Patriots solely about getting a win, however it came — so regardless of the circumstances and hairy moments, all that really mattered is that the Patriots got back on board their refurbished AirKraft with victory No. 3 in the left-hand column.
Nothing has come easy for New England this season, and that was true again Thursday as the team traveled to face an up-and-coming foe on a short week. Tom Brady turned the ball over twice, once when he misfired a wobbler meant for Chris Hogan, and once when he was stripped while being sacked. The Bucs had just sack over their first three tilts, but got to Brady three times and hit him on three other dropbacks.
The Patriots’ run defense was poor early, the Buccaneers had some success in the air late, and on the other side New England only got to the end zone once all night. A lot was left to the right foot of Stephen Gostkowski, who made all four of his field goal tries, including boots of 45 and 48 yards in the second half. Had Tampa Bay not missed three field goals, or had Jameis Winston thrown the ball more accurately, the outcome could have been different.
But it wasn’t. And, ultimately, that’s all that matters. After the first four games the Patriots just needed a win in the fifth, and they got it.
A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE DEFENSE
Bill Belichick may not always reveal much in press conferences, or detail his decision making for the media. But there are times when he makes a loud-and-clear statement – and he delivered one to his defense with just under 11 minutes left in regulation Thursday.\
What’s worrisome is how that defense responded.
With a 16-7 lead at the time, Belichick eschewed the opportunity to try a 50-yard field goal in favor of punting from the Tampa Bay 33 yard line, which came through as a strong vote of confidence in a unit that had struggled mightily through the first quarter of its season, but looked better to that juncture Thursday. In Sunday’s loss to Carolina, the coach appeared to make the opposite declaration – pushing the limits of time prior to the first half buzzer because he might’ve felt his defense left him no choice but to take some risks in search of points. This time, the Bucs had scored just once, and experienced major difficulty sustaining drives.
Ryan Allen’s punt pinned the Bucs at the 3, and the plan appeared to be set up perfectly. Except that on that series the Patriots let their hosts gain 84 yards on 11 plays, until New England was bailed out by the easiest of Nick Folk’s three missed field goals. They got the ball back three plays later, then took it 74 yards to the end zone. And on the game’s final possession, which ended with Winston throwing to the end zone from 18 yards out, Tampa Bay went 56 yards on six snaps.
So, after Belichick all but entrusted the game to his defense, Tampa Bay gained 216 yards on 26 plays, and made three trips to the red zone. It had managed 193 yards on their first 42 tries from scrimmage, which brought them inside the Patriots’ 20-yard line only once.
There were some good things from the Pats defense at Raymond James Stadium. Devin McCourty was outstanding. Dont’a Hightower’s return settled things. Tampa Bay started 0-for-7 on third down, and the Pats had forced as many punts by the first drive of the third quarter as they had in the previous two games combined (five). However, when called upon to close, New England’s late leaks were troubling.
GILMORE TESTED EARLY, HANDLES IT
In the early going, especially when star receiver Mike Evans was lined up on his side, the Buccaneers appeared to be going right at Stephon Gilmore.
The high-priced free agent has struggled to this point in his first season with the Patriots, with communication and the understanding of responsibilities appearing to be problems with devastating frequency, and after New England had just three days of preparation it looked like Tampa Bay wanted to see if it could be the latest to take advantage of those breakdowns.
But, this time, Gilmore was up to the challenge. The cornerback was competitive in coverage, and the catches he did surrender were minimal. Time will tell if Thursday’s apparent improvement is for real, if it was the result of adopting a softer approach to coverage, if it was reflective of Jameis Winston’s lack of accuracy – or if the Pats’ advances in keeping the opponent from splash plays was actually a byproduct of missing fellow corner Eric Rowe (groin injury). Either way, the Patriots don’t appear to have many options beyond Gilmore and Rowe, so both will need to be better. Thursday was encouraging for Gilmore in that regard.
TOO MANY PENALTIES, AGAIN
Four days after a series of ill-timed penalties did serious damage to the Patriots’ hopes, New England was again undermined the combination of its own lack of discipline and the eagerness of referee Carl Cheffers’ crew to get involved in the game.
Through three quarters the Pats had been whistled for a dozen accepted penalties that cost them 108 yards, and particularly disconcerting was the fact they stained every area of play. The defense gave the Bucs’ struggling offense three first downs by penalty, including a couple of senseless roughing the passer calls that extended the first half and gave Tampa Bay a shot at a 56-yard field goal before intermission.
Special teams aces Nate Ebner and Brandon Bolden were both flagged, Bolden inexplicably straying offsides with the Buccaneers facing fourth and 2 on the first possession after New England opened up a two-score lead. And the offense was its own worst enemy at times, with Nate Solder called for a couple of infractions, and Danny Amendola seeing three receivers negated by penalties.
One penalty particularly hurt, as when Deatrich Wise Jr. was called for illegal use of the hands, giving the Bucs a fresh set of downs on third and 20, Tampa Bay took turned that opportunity into its first touchdown. But it could well have been worth. Against a higher-functioning offense – or, perhaps, a team with a kicker capable of making a kick – they may have been made to pay for those breakdowns. There’s a lot for the Pats to clean up over the next 10 days, senseless penalties near the top of the list.
GRONK WAS MISSED
It was a productive night for a number of their weapons, with Brandin Cooks (five catches, 85 yards) and Chris Hogan (eight catches, 74 yards, touchdown) both making big plays, while Danny Amendola and James White caught 15 of 17 passes and picked up 134 combined yards in sharing the role of Brady’s go-to guys.
But while the Pats passed the ball efficiently (7.6 yards per attempt), and ran the ball effectively (4.9 yard per haul), when it came to third down and the red zone their results suggest they could’ve used Rob Gronkowski. The tight end missed the game with a thigh injury of mysterious origins, and while his teammates moved the ball on the early downs, they converted only four of 12 third-down encounters against a Bucs defense that entered last in the NFL after allowing opponents to hit on 50 percent of said tries. Further, a Pats attack that had scored touchdowns on 62 percent of its trips inside the 20 the past three weeks put the ball in the end zone just once in three visits to that area.
“Hopefully with the long break and he can be ready to go next week,” Brady said of his tight end, “but we’ll see.”
