Overview
- New England enters 7-2 on a six-game winning streak and Tampa Bay sits 6-2, with both leading their divisions heading into Sunday in Tampa.
- Tom Brady praised the matchup’s stakes and quarterback play but declined to pick a side between his two former teams.
- Baker Mayfield starts after a bye that helped him manage knee and oblique issues, while Tampa Bay ruled out RB Bucky Irving and WR Chris Godwin.
- The Patriots ruled out RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Kayshon Boutte and LB Christian Elliss, putting more on Drake Maye and a reshuffled skill group.
- Previews highlight Tampa Bay’s pressure packages against a frequently hit Maye and a strength-on-strength test between the Bucs’ pass rush and a Patriots team listed as a 2.5-point underdog on the road.