Patriots win 7th straight in thrilling fashion over Bucs

The Patriots continue to roll, and this time on the road over a formidable opponent.

Powered by three long touchdowns by a pair of rookies and clutch defensive plays, the Pats outlasted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 28-23 win Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, improving to 8-2 on the season. Quarterback Drake Maye finished 16-for-31 for 270 yards, two touchdowns and an interception (89.4 passer rating) in the win. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson enjoyed a breakout game, rushing 14 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, one for 55 yards and the other for 69 yards late in the fourth quarter. Rookie receiver Kyle Williams, meanwhile, dashed to the end zone for a 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown, the first of his career.

The Pats defense started the game after the team deferred possession to the second half. A familiar problem returned for the unit, as it allowed a first-drive touchdown for the seventh time in 10 games. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs drove 65 yards in six plays, finishing off with a 21-yard catch-and-run touchdown by rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka.

It wasn't until the Patriots' third possession, late in the first quarter, that they found a way to answer. Shaking off a rocky start, Maye got off a perfect throw as he was being hit, dropping it into the hands of Williams with a lot of room to run. The rookie took it all the way down the sideline for the score.

After punting on three straight possessions, the Bucs threatened again on their fifth offensive drive. But the Patriots defense got a stop, starting with a tackle for loss on first down, followed by two straight incompletions. Tampa Bay settled for a 36-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin to retake the lead, 10-7.

The Patriots answered on the ensuing drive, in one of the most interesting sequences of the game. Maye converted two separate third downs to make up for a pair of Pats penalties, and ultimately set the offense up with first-and-goal at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. Head coach Mike Vrabel called for Maye to kneel the ball for no gain, forcing the clock to run as the Bucs had run out of timeouts. Henderson got stopped on consecutive run plays, which set up fourth-and-goal with just two seconds left in the half. They went for it, and Maye found Stefon Diggs for a dynamic end-zone toe-tapping catch, which gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead at halftime.

The Pats got the dreaded double-score to start the third quarter, and in explosive fashion. Taking full advantage of several blockers clearing the lane for him, Henderson exploded to the second level and outran everyone to the end zone for his second touchdown run of the season, a 55-yarder that gave the Patriots a 21-10 lead. The defense maintained the momentum with a three-and-out on the Bucs' first possession of the quarter, but the offense couldn't follow up and had to punt themselves.

From there, the Bucs regained some momentum and got back in the game. Mayfield engineered a drive of 11 plays and 92 net yards, capping it with a touchdown pass to Tez Johnson. Their 2-point try was stopped short, though, so the Patriots then led the game 21-16. The Pats' ensuing drive, however, stalled out after they went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Tampa Bay 42-yard line, as Maye's pass intended for Diggs fell incomplete. The Bucs could not take advantage of that gift, as their own fourth-down attempt resulted in a 10-yard penalty for offensive pass interference, so they punted.

Tampa very nearly had another stop, but instead, Maye made an imapct throw. Facing third-and-14 and getting pressure up the middle, Maye stood in the pocket and delivered a 56-yard strike down the field to receiver Mack Hollins, setting up first-and-goal. Unfortunately, Maye couldn't finish off the drive, as he threw an interception in the end zone on third-and-goal, giving the ball back to the Bucs while coming up empty on the scoreboard.

That's when the Patriots defense really came through in the clutch. First, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and safety Craig Woodson combined for a pass breakup on third-and-3, then K'Lavon Chaisson's pressure forced a desperation dump-off by Mayfield on fourth-and-3. The Pats safely gang-tackled Rachaad White for the turnover on downs.

And on the ensuing possession, Henderson broke free for his second touchdown of the game, a 69-yard run to the left edge that gave the Patriots a 28-16 lead with 1:31 left in the game.

The Bucs made it interesting with a late touchdown, making it 28-23 and setting up an onside kick with 58 seconds left in the game. Diggs went up and secured the ball on the pop-up bounce, sealing the victory.

The Patriots have a quick turnaround, as they will hit the road again in Week 11 for a Thursday night matchup against the New York Jets.