Patriots come up with all the big plays to shut down Bucs Up to now, the Bucs' injury situation was a concern. On Sunday, it officially turned into a hindrance. Tampa Bay's depleted offense struggled to put points on the board and fell short on a two-minute drive while the game was still on the line in a 28-23 loss to the Patriots. The Bucs scored on their opening drive, won the turnover battle, rushed for more than 100 yards against the NFL's top run defense but still did not have enough juice in the passing game to put New England away. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving and two offensive linemen on the sidelines, the Bucs were unable to stretch the field or make enough big plays to put pressure on the Patriots defense. Tampa Bay scored a late touchdown to make the score closer than it was. In the useless (but annoying) trivia department, the Patriots remain the only team the Bucs have never beaten at Raymond James Stadium since the facility opened in 1998. New England beat the Bucs 19-14 in the previous meeting. Play of the day It wasn't as splashy as the 72-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams or the 55-yard scoring run by TreVeyon Henderson, but the 1-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs on the final play of the first half was a killer. The Pats had gambled by essentially kneeling on first down to kill the clock, and the Bucs had stopped them on the next two downs. Diggs making a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone was the difference between going into halftime with a lead or a deficit. Game ball Forget everything else. If you're a Tampa Bay fan, one player gave the Bucs a chance to flip the script. New England was about to put the game out of reach when Drake Maye scrambled right and tried to hit Mack Hollins in the corner of the end zone when Tykee Smith came out of nowhere and made a leaping, fingertip interception to give the Bucs one more chance in the final minutes. Keep an eye on The 2026 trade deadline. Maybe the Bucs can find another receiver by then. NFC South update This would have been so much worse if Carolina hadn't wet the bed against the Saints. After seven consecutive losing seasons, the Panthers could have found themselves breathing down Tampa Bay's neck at the top of the division. Instead, the Panthers lose 17-7 to the Saints, who came in at 1-8. Up next It doesn't get any easier for the Bucs in the next two weeks. Tampa Bay goes on the road to Buffalo next week, and then faces the Rams in Los Angeles. The December schedule can't get here soon enough. John Romano, Tampa Bay Times, published 10 November 2025