Patriots Hold Off Buccaneers on Final Drive to Score Ugly 19-14 Win

The New England Patriots (3-2) averted disaster Thursday night and crept back above .500 with a 19-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) at Raymond James Stadium. 

While the defending Super Bowl champions weren't particularly sharp, quarterback Tom Brady found success against a depleted Buccaneers defense that was without linebackers Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander as well as safeties T.J. Ward and Keith Tandy.

All told, Brady completed 30 of 40 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown. 

Buccaneers signal-caller Jameis Winston, who was plagued by overthrows and inconsistencies early, finished 26-of-46 for 334 yards and one score and had a throw to win it from the Patriots 19-yard line with three seconds remaining. 

But with the game hanging in the balance, the Patriots secondary batted the ball down and walked away with a victory. 

Winston's numbers look fine on paper without context. But considering he didn't heat up until the fourth quarter, they can't be taken at face value. 

That's especially true because of how New England played through the first month of the season.  

After the Patriots were roasted for a league-worst 324 passing yards per game during a 2-2 start, their defensive backs, including $65 million man Stephon Gilmore, put the clamps on the Bucs' high-powered passing attack through the first 45 minutes. 

On Thursday, that meant playing soft coverage against the likes of Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson so they wouldn't be susceptible to deep vertical gains. The strategy paid off for the most part, as Evans (five catches, 49 yards) failed to net a big night while Jackson (five catches, 106 yards) didn't break out until the fourth quarter when the Bucs were in catch-up mode.    

Of course, it helped the Patriots that Winston was devoid of rhythm all night long and routinely missed open targets, as FantasyLife.com's Matthew Berry pointed out: 

If there was a silver lining for the Bucs, it was that running back Doug Martin—in his first game back from a four-game suspension—carried 13 times for 74 yards and a score. 

Brady, meanwhile, picked his spots against the Buccaneers secondary as he consistently found Danny Amendola (eight catches, 77 yards) and Brandin Cooks (five catches, 85 yards) in the middle of the field. 

Those contributions were particularly big because the Patriots were without tight end Rob Gronkowski on Thursday because of a thigh bruise. 

Not to be overlooked was Chris Hogan (eight catches, 74 yards), who continued his red-zone hot streak with a five-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, which the NFL on Twitter documented: 

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how electric Hogan has been: 

But aside from Hogan's short receiving snare, trips to paydirt proved elusive for the Patriots. 

Any other week, that would have been problematic. 

But against the Buccaneers, who saw Nick Folk miss three field goals, New England had margin for error. 

Looking ahead, though, New England has to be sharper. 

For one, it committed 12 penalties for 108 yards—a figure head coach Bill Belichick isn't liable to let them forget. 

The offensive line is also in need of improvements after it allowed three sacks to a Buccaneers front that managed one through its first three games. 

CBS Sports illustrated just how shaky the Patriots' protection scheme has been to this point: 

But for the time being, the Patriots will take the win—ugly as it was—and set their sights on a fourth victory with a showdown against the New York Jets looming Oct. 15. 

The Buccaneers, however, will be looking to bounce back when they travel to Arizona in Week 6.