Despite an already banged-up defense going into the short week, it was the Buccaneers offense that struggled in putting points on the board. Jameis Winston was eight of 16 with just 71 yards passing, compared to Brady’s 169 yards on 18 of 22 completions at the half.
Conversely, the Buccaneers defense got off to a strong start as the first drive of the game saw Buccaneers rookie safety Justin Evans, making his first ever NFL start, intercept Tom Brady to give Tampa Bay the ball back immediately. Neither defense let up until the end of the first quarter, when the Patriots managed a short field goal after being stopped on 3rd and 5 from the Tampa Bay nine-yard line.