Plenty of talk was had about the Buccaneers having to play well against Tom Brady, especially in the secondary.
With Rob Gronkowski ruled out shortly before kickoff, their job got a bit easier, but the strategy had to be the same.
Bottom line, don’t let Brady pick and choose his receivers as he dictates the outcome of the game. If you force the Patriots to beat you, and don’t let their quarterback do it, then you’ll have a shot.
On the very first drive of the game, rookie safety Justin Evans came away with a big play on a rare mistake by the sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback.
Watch Justin Evans intercept Tom Brady 👇 https://t.co/FRLDyTNpof
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 6, 2017
In fact, it was so rare, Jenna Laine went on to point out Evans had just done what no rookie had done in almost three seasons.
Justin Evans is the first rookie to intercept Tom Brady since the Jets' Marcus Williams in Week 16 of the 2014... https://t.co/FOqN5vol95
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 6, 2017
Vernon Hargreaves got picked on all night, including on a touchdown pass to Chris Hogan which gave the Patriots their second lead of the game, and some momentum nearing halftime.
Brent Grimes even had a rare mistake later in the game when he overplayed an inside move by receiver Danny Amendola. Because of the over-pursuit, Amendola had a nice chunk of field ahead of him after making the catch, and took it to the Buccaneers 9-yard line.
Evans played admirably, coming down with eight tackles and the one interception. There was another shot at a pick which the rookie will likely agree, he should have had. Still, it’s hard to find much wrong with his performance.
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Hargreaves continues to look shell-shocked after the Vikings game, and is leaving us all wondering if his aggressiveness can ever come back.
Grimes was nearly flawless, and Chris Conte didn’t do anything horrible enough for me to lash out here.
The secondary isn’t to blame for this loss, and even though Brady threw for over 300-yards, he wasn’t the reason the Pats won this game.