Week Seven Preview: Patriots Head To Britain To Face The Bucs
With a win versus Tampa, Brady and the Pats will enter the bye at 5-2.
Overview: For the second straight week, the New England Patriots will be facing a team looking for their first win of the season. While last week they hung 59 points on the Titans during a snowstorm in Foxboro, this time they are traveling across an ocean to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last Week: If it hadn’t been for the driving snowstorm that made things a little unpleasant, you might say the New England Patriots had a nice scrimmage last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots offense clicked on all cylinders as they scored 59 points, including five touchdown passes from Tom Brady in the second quarter. The defense also played well as they registered the shutout victory.
The Buccaneers scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and an interception, but couldn’t hold off the Carolina Panthers down the stretch in a 28-21 loss. Now 0-6 on the season, the Buccaneers managed only 147 yards passing as quarterback Josh Johnson completed 11 of 17 passes.
All-Time Series: The Patriots hold a 4-2 series advantage. They defeated the Buccaneers 28-0 when they last met in 2005.
Key Questions Entering Week Six:
New England Patriots: Given how much work he had to do last week with all the extra points and kickoffs and how much he could end up doing this week as the Patriots face one of the worst pass defenses in the league, I think a key question for the Patriots entering this game could be how well placekicker Steven Gostkowski will hold up. There will be extra pressure on the fourth year kicker in England as British fans love to see the ball being kicked and will certainly be comparing the talents of Gostkowski with their own soccer stars.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: When your team ranks 27th in the league in scoring and 29th in scoring defense, you know there are a lot of question marks. The offense has struggled for consistency both in running and throwing the football. Now that Josh Johnson has firmly been planted in the starting lineup at quarterback, the question is whether he can continue to grow and develop his multi-dimensional skills. He will certainly face a tough test in Patriots defense that is traditionally difficult to move against.
Maroney will have to carry the rock for the Pats with injuries to Morris and Taylor.
Player To Watch:
New England Patriots: Laurence Maroney had a big game last week against Tennessee with 123 yards rushing. Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, Maroney could start to build some momentum after an abysmal start to the 2009 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Despite the disappointing start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cadillac Williams has been a great story so far in 2009. Coming back from two serious knee injuries, he has rushed for 276 yards and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The Patriots allowed Chris Johnson to rush for 128 yards a week ago and rank 20th against the run this season
Predictions: The annual game in England is always a fun show and is becoming a valuable NFL tradition, but it seems a shame that the Patriots have to travel this far to post their second straight annihilation. The Buccaneers are competitive, but they are not anywhere near close to good. I expect they will be more of a challenge than the Titans were for the Patriots a week ago, but it shouldn’t be long before the Patriots put this game out of reach.
Final Score: New England 45, Tampa Bay 10.
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