Patriots-Buccaneers Showdown this Sunday

Chris Jimenez, Staff Writer

The Patriots have finished playing three weeks of NFL football and they are a worrisome 1-2.

Mac Jones was depicted as the most NFL ready quarterback prospect in years, coming out of Alabama last spring. NFL scouts were raving about his accuracy, his decision making, and his ability to run an offense efficiently. 

Throughout training camp, and in glimpses of three games, Jones has seemed like a seasoned veteran with his calm behavior and intelligent decision-making. In three games, he has completed 81 of 120 pass attempts for a  67.5% completion rate, has thrown 737 passing yards, scored 2 passing touchdowns, and thrown 3 interceptions. All of his picks came in the week three loss against the New Orleans Saints, a terrible showing for the whole team. He ranks in the bottom half of all quarterbacks in these categories. 

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will be visiting Foxborough in Week 4 for Sunday Night Football and the matchup has been receiving national attention since the second the schedule was released. At this moment, the cheapest ticket to get in the door is over $400. 

This will be the first time Brady has been to Foxborough since the Patriots playoff loss to the Titans in 2019; a pick six being his last throw as a Patriot. The Buccaneers are coming off of a Super Bowl win in Brady’s first year there and have a 2-1 record, having lost their first game of the season this past Sunday to the Rams. 

It will definitely be a hard fought game considering how strong both defenses are, but there is no doubt that these offenses play a very different scheme. The Buccaneers are very pass-heavy while the Pats are conversely very run-heavy, with both teams having solid offensive lines. 

The betting spread currently stands at -7 for the Buccaneers, riding on the low end of what much of the public expected. The Patriots red-zone efficiency has been atrocious, and the only way to win this game will be to improve in that area of the game. The Patriots can’t ride to a win against this Tampa team solely using field goals. 

There will be a lot of emotions among Patriots fans, especially ones who remember the entire dynasty of Brady. The game will have millions of eyes on it and it will be interesting to see how Mac Jones and the Patriots react to the national pressure of this game.