Best and worst: What we learned from Patriots’ 28-23 win over Buccaneers

FOXBORO The Patriots have a new signature win Underdogs heading into a Week matchup with the Buccaneers the Patriots outlasted outplayed and outshined one of the NFC s best teams to increase their winning streak to seven games and improve their record to - with a - win Credit two Patriots rookies with the band s biggest plays The Patriots defense also came up strong when it mattered the majority First however the Patriots survived what could have been a grave mistake by quarterback Drake Maye Two plays after M-V-P chants rained down from Patriots fans half-filling Raymond James Stadium Maye looked anything but On third-and-goal from the Buccaneers -yard line Maye was intercepted by safety Tykee Smith when a throwaway and field goal to give the Patriots an -point lead might have put the contest away Instead the Patriots gave the Bucs the ball at their own -yard line leading - giving quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers life The Patriots defense bailed out Maye with a massive stop on fourth-and- from the Patriots -yard line Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson clinched the event with a -yard touchdown run to increase the Patriots lead to - It was his second -plus-yard touchdown run of the battle and his third explosive play Related Articles Patriots running back ruled out of Bucs encounter with knee injury Patriots pay tribute to Paul Tagliabue after former NFL commissioner s death Patriots-Buccaneers inactives Will Kyle Williams step up in Kayshon Boutte s absence Patriots add running back three-time Super Bowl champ to advancing roster I don t think I ll ever forget Patriots remember Tom Brady s epic return with the Buccaneers The Patriots defense seemingly fixed it s issue with starting slow in last week s win over the Falcons They couldn t stop a nosebleed on the Bucs opening drive Sunday The Bucs marched yards down the field on just six plays Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka scored on a -yard touchdown catch from quarterback Baker Mayfield He also picked up yards on another reception The Patriots offense went just yards on seven plays on their opening drive After completing a -yard pass to Stefon Diggs Maye was -of- of his next three passing attempts all targets to Mack Hollins A key pass breakup by linebacker Jack Gibbens on third down slowed the Buccaneers offense who was forced to punt Marcus Jones slipped and fell for a -yard gain on the return It was a slightly better showing for the Patriots offense taking over from their own -yard line making it yards on eight plays before punting After forcing a three-and-out the Patriots put together a one-play drive That one play was a -yard touchdown when he ran past the Buccaneers defense showing off his jets The Bucs responded with an eight-play -yard drive but had to settle for a -yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin giving them a - lead The Patriots made things thought-provoking to cap off the first half but ultimatley scored on fourth-and-goal from the -yard line on a pass from Maye to Diggs The Patriots picked up no gain on three straight plays before the last-second touchdown to end the half taking a - lead into the locker room Coming out of the half the Patriots were able to complete a double points After a -yard catch from Hollins Henderson turned on his own jets on a -yard touchdown run reaching an even greater speed than Williams to give the gang a - lead The two teams exchanged punts The Bucs then went on an impressive -play -yard drive Mayfield located wide receiver Tez Johnson on a -yard touchdown over Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis Their two-point attempt was no good cutting the Patriots lead to - The Patriots took a liability on fourth-and- from their ensuing drive electing to go for it from the Buccaneers -yard line Maye threw incomplete to Diggs turning over the ball on downs The Bucs also were in a situation to go for it on fourth down from midfield An offensive pass interference penalty when wide receiver Sterling Shepard picked linebacker Marte Mapu called back a conversion forcing the Buccaneers to punt A touchback gave the Patriots the ball back at their own -yard line The Patriots had to punt the ball back to the Bucs after getting inches short of a first down Going for fouth-and-inches at their own -yard line would have been tempting fate The Patriots forced the Bucs to punt after a three-and-out Maye led the Patriots down to the Bucs -yard line and threw an ill-advise pass on third down resulting in an interception It was a massive error for Maye since a field goal would have given the Patriots an -point lead BEST RB TreVeyon Henderson This was the performer the Patriots were expecting when they selected Henderson in the second round of the NFL Draft He took off on a -yard touchdown run to start the second half Overall he had carries for yards with two long touchdowns including a -yard game-clincher WR Kyle Williams Welcome to the NFL Kyle Williams After catching two passes on six targets for yards in his first nine games the rookie wide receiver caught a -yard touchdown to cap off the first quarter WR Stefon Diggs The Pro Bowl wideout had a productive performance catching five passes for yards with an impressive toe-tapping touchdown OLB K Lavon Chaisson The veteran edge defender now has a career-high sacks on the season He was able to chase down Mayfield for a sack late in the first quarter WORST CB Marcus Jones The Patriots slot cornerback was involved in a coverage breakdown on Egbuka s -yard touchdown catch leaving the rookie receiver wide open It wasn t a great tournament by any of the Patriots top cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez was flagged for a defensive pass interference penalty and Carlton Davis allowed a touchdown to Johnson Special teams The Patriots had two holds on two punt returns backing them up into their own territory early in the match Offensive line penalties Right tackle Morgan Moses and left guard Jared Wilson were both called for false starts on the same drive late in the first half WHAT WE LEARNED The Patriots opened in a base defense with Jahlani Tavai starting at outside linebacker over K Lavon Chaisson The idea was to stop the run The Patriots defense couldn t stop anything on the Buccaneers opening drive Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga was used on offense at fullback to pick up yard on fourth-and- on the Patriots first offensive series Caleb Murphy made his Patriots debut but it was still Elijah Ponder and Anfernee Jennings as the squad s top backup edge defenders The Patriots have specific explosive rookies Williams was clocked at MPH on his -yard touchdown Henderson one-upped him by going MPH on his -yard touchdown run The Patriots suffered a ton of minor injuries in this competition but the majority of players returned Running back Terrell Jennings knee did not leaving the Patriots to test their depth with D Ernest Johnson getting snaps