Patriots Deliver Big Win in Tampa
The New England Patriots notched a huge road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, November 9, 2025, improving to 8-2 with a 28-23 thriller that saw them dominate for 90% of the game before a tense finish. Two main stories emerged from the victory: a phenomenal defensive effort that stifled the Buccaneers’ offense, and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson's breakout performance with 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns on fourteen carries, filling the void left by multiple running back injuries.
Coming into the game, most expected Drake Maye to go toe-to-toe in a shootout with the Bucs, but that was not the case. Maye played decently (16-of-31 for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception), but the Patriots' defense stepped up massively to dictate the pace. After allowing a touchdown on Tampa's very first possession, the Buccaneers' next offensive drives went punt, punt, punt, field goal, and then it was halftime, with two of those three punting drives being three-and-outs. They failed to score another touchdown until five minutes left in the third quarter.
The Pats defense held the Bucs to 5.6 yards per play, but unfortunately, the Patriots streak of not allowing an opposing rusher to reach fifty rushing yards came to an end as Sean Tucker rushed for fifty-three yards on nine carries. With that being said the Patriots defensive line played well. Outside of a few long rushes, they defended the rush well and sacked Baker Mayfield twice. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez played particularly well. In a tweet by @ByMarkDaniels, of MassLive he shows how dominant Gonzalez has been these past few weeks.
Patriots CBs vs Bucs
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) November 10, 2025
Gonzalez: 2/10, 35 yards, PBU
Davis: 1/3, 10 yards, TD
Jones: 1/1, 21 yards, TD
- Gonzo was targeted 10 times in the previous 3 games. He was never targeted more than 8 times in '24. This was the most targets he's seen since his first NFL game in '23 (11)
Overall, it was a stellar day for the Pats' defense in containing the Bucs, but rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson truly stole the show. As mentioned, he racked up 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries, including a 55-yard burst on the second play of the second half to extend the lead and a 69-yard dagger late in the fourth quarter that pushed the score to 28-16. Henderson also excelled in pass protection, not allowing a single pressure across his snaps to keep Drake Maye clean
TreVeyon Henderson had 93 rush yards over expected in Week 10.
— Underdog (@Underdog) November 10, 2025
Rhamondre Stevenson has 20 RYOE on the SEASON. pic.twitter.com/1sQuQBZ8dv
One of the Patriots biggest issues right now is their inconsistency trying to score in the second half. Yesterday, outside of the two big plays by Henderson, they really struggled to move the ball. Through 10 games, they're averaging just 11.6 points in the second half (17th in the NFL), a drop from their stronger first halves (14.9 points on average). This inconsistency shows up in several outings: they've scored fewer than 10 second-half points in four games (Weeks 1, 3, 5, and 9), and in three of those (Weeks 1, 3, and 5), they managed three or fewer points.
The Patriots' win yesterday was a big deal. With Buffalo falling to Miami, New England now leads the AFC East by 1.5 games at 8-2. This team looks capable of beating anyone in the league, thanks to a stout defense and an offense that's shown flashes of greatness, even if it wasn't at its sharpest against the Bucs. This Thursday, the Pats host the Jets and must capitalize on the short turnaround to keep the momentum rolling.
@nicseeley12
