Tom Brady is coming back to Foxborough. This time, however, he’s not wearing the New England jersey. For the first time ever, he’s playing at Gillette Stadium as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Brady knows the Pats’ strengths and weaknesses, but they also know his. Of course, the GOAT candidate doesn’t have too many weaknesses, which explains why the Bucs are strong favorites to win on Sunday evening.
Buccaneers vs Patriots Odds (NFL Week 4, 2021)
All odds are per DraftKings as of September 29.
Moneyline
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -290 |
| Green Bay Packers | +230 |
Spread
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers -7 | -105 |
| New England Patriots +7 | -115 |
Over/Under
| Over 49 | -110 |
| Under 49 | -110 |
Where and When to Watch
- Date: Sunday, October 3
- Time: 8:20 PM EDT
- Location: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA
- Watch: CBS
Tampa Bay Hoping to Bounce Back After the First Loss of the Season
Last weekend, the Bucs suffered their first NFL defeat since November 2020, when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Once again, they lost on the road. Their trip to California didn’t go well – the Rams beat them 34-24 at SoFi Stadium.
Brady and the Bucs’ offense had a decent game. The QB completed 41 of his 55 passes for 432 yards and one passing touchdown. On top of that, Brady scored a rushing TD on his own and had no interceptions.
Unfortunately for him, Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t do great. Matt Stafford absolutely destroyed them with four TD passes. As a result, the Bucs conceded 34 points, which is more than they allowed in their previous 13 NFL games (not counting pre-season).
The good news is that they’re now facing an offense that doesn’t have as great a QB as Matt Stafford. Sure, the Pats’ rookie quarterback, Mac Jones, is a super-talented player, but he definitely doesn’t look capable of passing for four TDs on Sunday.
Actually, he’s made only two TD passes so far after three weeks of the 2021 season, which begs the question of whether he can do anything against the Bucs.
Defenses Will be in the Spotlight
If New England wants to win this game, Bill Belichick will have to figure out a way to stop Brady, whom he coached for nearly two decades.
If there’s a head coach who knows how to stop Brady, it’s Belichick. The trouble is that the Pats’ defense just isn’t good enough to execute his anti-Brady plan. That said, it seems almost certain that Brady and the Bucs are going to score at least a couple of TDs in Foxborough.
When it comes to Tampa’s defense, they will probably be very motivated to do better than last weekend. Thirty-four points conceded is just too much for one of the league’s best defenses. This time, they just have to do better.
Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win and cover the spread. For the Over/Under, we should see the under hit.