The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the New England Patriots 28-23 in an underwhelming effort on Sunday.
There were many disappointing aspects of this game for Tampa Bay, but there were also several players that turned in impressive performances despite the loss.
Most impressive and most disappointing Buccaneers in 28-23 loss to Patriots
Winner: Emeka Egbuka
Despite receiving all the attention from the Patriots’ secondary, Egbuka put up a big game with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
He helped reinforce his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year and continues to prove the front office right for drafting him with their first-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The future continues to look bright for the wide receiver room in Tampa, led by Egbuka.
Winner: Baker Mayfield
Mayfield wasn't perfect by any means, but he played well enough to win, especially considering the offensive line woes and the key injuries to his playmakers.
Mayfield outplayed Maye, completing 28-of-43 passes (65%) for 273 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers. The Bucs are certainly disappointed in the outcome of the game, but with Mayfield playing at this level, Tampa Bay will be a difficult team to beat if the supporting cast around him raises their level of play.
Losers: Buccaneers Offensive Line
The offensive line was a major liability that proved to cost Tampa Bay the game against the Patriots. In all fairness, the Bucs were relying on two backup guards for most of the game.
Mayfield was sacked twice but was under duress for much of the game. On 4th-and-3 with a chance to take the lead in the final minutes, the offensive line didn’t even put up a fight as Mayfield was immediately swallowed up by pressure and the game-deciding play was blown up by New England.
With Cody Mauch out for the season, Ben Bredeson exiting early with a hamstring injury, and Graham Barton really struggling at center, the offensive line woes might be a problem that holds Tampa Bay back from reaching their goals this season.
Winner: Tykee Smith
Smith made the play of the day for Tampa Bay, giving them at least a chance to win just when it looked like New England was going to put the game away.
With New England up 21-16 and facing third-and-goal at the Bucs’ 2-yard line, Smith made an incredible interception off Drake Maye to give the Buccaneers the ball back.
Smith’s clutch play put the offense in position to win the game, and while they ultimately came up short, Smith still deserves credit for his late-game heroics.
Loser: Buccaneers rushing defense
Under Bowles, the Buccaneers have built their defensive identity around stopping the run. They entered Sunday as one of the league’s top ten units in that area, consistently ranking among the NFL’s best year after year.
But against New England, that reputation took a major hit. The Patriots gashed Tampa Bay for 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging more than six yards per carry, including two scores that went for over 50 yards apiece.
The Buccaneers will have to get this cleaned up quickly, as the defense is a lot less formidable if it can’t live up to its calling card of stopping the run.
Winner: Cade Otton
With the offense reeling due to injuries, missing Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan, and Bucky Irving, somebody needed to step up as a target for Mayfield.
Otton rose to the occasion, catching a team-leading nine passes for 82 yards and proving he could play a significant role in the offense going forward.
Loser: Benjamin Morrison
Morrison had a long day, with New England continuously picking on him in coverage.
He was beat by rookie Kyle Williams for the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game, and later had a pass interference call in coverage against Stefon Diggs.
He's a rookie, and growing pains are to be expected, but Morrison's struggles held Tampa Bay's defense back in what ended as a one possession game.
Loser: Todd Bowles
Bowles’ defense had a disappointing effort against the Patriots. They only got to Maye once for a sack, and things were far too easy for the Patriots offense at times.
Bowles’ biggest shortcoming though, was his commitment to splitting playing time between Dean and Morrison at cornerback. Sure, it makes sense on paper. Less playing time for Dean will help him limit injuries and stay fresh, and Morrison needs reps in order to develop after the team invested a second-round draft pick in him.
But Dean is having the best season of his career, playing lockdown coverage. When the Patriots continued to pick on Morrison, Tampa Bay should’ve recognized it and allowed Dean to play the vast majority of the snaps.
Winner: Tez Johnson
Johnson continues to look like a steal of a seventh-round draft pick for Tampa Bay.
He had four catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Knowing that the Buccaneers found a late-round gem that will be a significant part of their offense in the future is a bright spot despite a disappointing loss.
Winner: Sean Tucker
Heading into today’s game, New England boasted the NFL’s top rushing defense, allowing just 75 yards per game.
No running back had recorded over 50 yards rushing against them through nine games, but Tucker changed that in Week 10. Tucker rushed for 53 yards on nine rushes, averaging almost six yards per carry, bolstered by a big 18-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
Tucker has earned himself a bigger share of the workload going forward, even when Irving eventually returns from his injury.
Loser: Josh Grizzard
Grizzard called a bad game, with too many predictable run calls against the best rushing defense in the league, and staying too conservative on third-and-long plays with screens that simply weren’t working.
It’s difficult to go against one of the NFL’s best defensive units missing so many key players, but Grizzard needed to have a better game plan coming off a bye week.
Loser: Antoine Winfield Jr.
Coming off of his best performance of the season in Week 8 against the Saints, Winfield failed to make the same impact against the Patriots.
After what had been an impressive goal line stand to close out the first half, New England decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal. Maye threw a jump ball to Diggs, and Winfield was beat on the 50/50 ball, giving up the touchdown to end the first half which proved to be the difference in a one-score game.