New England Patriots team grades vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Special teams were the deciding factor in the game tonight. One team excelled in this area and one failed miserably; you can probably guess which team did what by the final score.

The Patriots weren’t able to get into the end zone, but Stephen Gostkowski was able to put points up on the board. Gostkowski knocked in all four of his field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards. He also knocked in his only extra point attempt.

The same cannot be said for the Buccaneers kicker, Nick Folk. After missing an extra point and two field goals against the Giants last week, Folk’s struggles continued against the Patriots. Folk missed all three of his field goal attempts, which essentially decided the game.

Ryan Allen had a solid evening punting as well. He averaged 47 yards per punt, landing one inside the 20-yard line. The coverage team was good as well, as Bernard Reedy gained only 29 yards on three returns. Kickoff coverage was solid as well, as Reedy managed only 16 yards on his lone kickoff return attempt.

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Amendola had a good night returning the ball. He had a 23-yard return on his sole kickoff return and averaged 17 yards on his three punt returns. The success on punt returns helped negate some the success that Bryan Anger had punting, as he landed three inside the 20 and averaged 45.2 yards per punt.