In the most intriguing and important matchup of Sunday’s NFL slate â but one which is inexplicably confined to the CBS early broadcast time slot of 1 p.m. Eastern â the 7-2 New England Patriots go on the road to take on the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an inter-conference battle of first-place teams at Raymond James Stadium.
But on Saturday, less than 24 hours before kickoff, Tampa Bay made a player move that could give the Bucs just the extra edge they would need in the contest between two most evenly-matched teams â a move that will have an impact on the Patriots’ ability to execute a key element of their game plan.
The game features a showdown between two quarterbacks both among the favorites for the NFL MVP award, at least at this point with the season half over. The Patriots, of course, are led by sophomore QB Drake Maye who, per NFL.com expert Bucky Brooks, “boasts a league-high 74.1 completion percentage and a sparkling 116.9 passer rating.”
Brooks, heading into the Sunday clash, ranks Maye â the Patriots first-round draft pick, No. 3 overall in 2024 â at the top of his MVP rankings.
Mayfield ‘Most Clutch QB’
At No. 9, however, is Buccaneers nine-year veteran signal-caller Baker Mayfield â the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, taken by the Cleveland Browns out of Oklahoma. Mayfield has found a career resurgence since taking over the QB slot from retired Tom Brady in Tampa Bay three years ago.
Brooks calls Mayfield “the league’s most clutch quarterback these days” and adds, “Mayfield’s pinpoint accuracy on hero throws at winning time shows his competitive stamina under pressure.”
The Patriots will want to make sure that Mayfield feels that pressure as often as possible on Sunday â but the Bucs’ move on Saturday makes that job more difficult for the New England pass rush.
The Buccaneers made the decision to activate 6-foot-5, 312-pound offensive tackle Luke Goedeke, who is now expected to start against the Patriots after six games on the injured reserve list with a foot injury aggravated in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
Big Upgrade to Bucs’ OL
The Bucs’ offensive line has struggled in the absence of the 2022 second-round draft pick out of Central Michigan.
With the Patriots pass rush, though significantly improved over last-year’s league-worst performance, still having trouble rising above mediocrity â ranking 21st in pressure percentage (18.9) and 18th of the NFL’s 32 teams in sacks (20) â keeping Mayfield under pressure was already going to be a tough assignment.
The addition of the 26-year-old Goedeke only makes the Patriots’ job tougher as Mayfield is likely to find that he now has additional time to look downfield as he chases the explosive plays that have become a kind of hallmark for the 30-year-old.
Goedeke Among Highest-Paid OL in NFL
“Consistent pressure and getting him off of his spot early in the game is the key. If Baker is able to get into a rhythm and find success early, he can carry that confidence with him throughout the entire game,” wrote game analyst Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit on Sunday. “However what he doesnât like is having to rush passes or simply take sacks, especially since heâs been a bit banged up himself this season.”
Before the season, the Bucs gave Goedeke a four-year, $90 million contract extension, making him the 13th-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL in terms of average annual value of his paycheck, an indication of the performance Tampa Bay expects out of the tackle, and what the Patriots will now be forced to deal with on Sunday.
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