With Week 10 right around the corner, the New England Patriots are in the midst of preparing for one of their toughest battles of the season so far against the Bucs. The rising NFC South team, led by fellow MVP frontrunner QB Baker Mayfield, is coming off a bye and hopes to continue stacking wins at home.
The Patriots want to extend their win streak and maintain their undefeated away record, but they'll likely be without some key contributors on offense, which will already be in for a tough day against a very dominant Tampa defensive line. Although they faced the league's best defense just two weeks ago vs. the Browns, the Bucs are not going to be any easier.
In fact, New England's offensive line, along with Drake Maye, will need to improve their performance if they hope to sneak out a win. They have reverted to some old habits over the last few weeks, with Maye being sacked 16 times in the last three games, making it that much more crucial for their chances to win to buckle down and turn things around.
The Bucs pass rush might not let that happen, though.
The Bucs' defensive line might take over the game vs. the Patriots this week
One of the weaknesses of the Patriots' offensive line over the past month has been the number of sacks allowed on their quarterback. The group isn't deserving of all the blame, since Maye is able to hold onto the ball for nearly a league-high time, so many sacks can be attributed to his decision-making.
That can't become an issue again this week, as the Bucs' defense has recorded 15 sacks in their last three games, so it's clear they're getting to quarterbacks with ease. It will be a big test for their young offensive line, with Will Campbell leading the way.
He has been solid throughout his rookie season so far, but he hasn't had the most reliable help around him. Jared Wilson, another rookie, has been inconsistent recently, and Mike Onwenu had a rough game against the Falcons last week.
That won't fly against a team as stacked as the Bucs, and if they can disrupt Maye as much as they have other quarterbacks, it wouldn't be unfair to assume the Patriots will add their third loss to the season in Week 10.
It will require great practices all week and major improvement from how the group has performed over the past few weeks, and even from Maye. Whether that's possible in just a few days is difficult to predict, but the desire to keep winning and prove they are a better team than their "easy" schedule suggests could be motivation enough to get the job done.