The New England Patriots have quickly turned things around under Mike Vrabel, entering Week 10 with a 7-2 record. On Sunday, they will face off against an opponent that has been just as good: the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For the Bucs, who won the NFC South the last four seasons, this will be just another competitive game. For the Patriots, just getting things turned around, this will serve as a measuring stick, as the team will see how it fares against the other top teams in the league.
This will also be a big moment for quarterback Drake Maye. In just his second season, the young quarterback has already turned a ton of people into believers. However, the challenges are never-ending in the NFL, and he could face his biggest challenge yet on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Former quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky detailed that on Thursday’s episode of Get Up, explaining how the Bucs defense could put the game in Maye’s hands, and throw a lot of complicated looks at him.
Dan Orlovsky says Buccaneers will be the biggest challenge Drake Maye has faced in his career
Orlovsky laid out two reasons to explain why he feels this way. The first reason is that Tampa Bay is good against the run. A good run game is every quarterback's best friend, so if Tampa Bay can eliminate the Patriots' rushing attack, New England will have to lean on Maye’s arm.
The other reason Orlovsky emphasized is that the Bucs defense gives a lot of confusing looks, switching things pre-snap to post-snap. Orlovsky says the relatively inexperienced Maye hasn’t seen much of that, so this will be a big evaluation for him.
While all of Orlovsky’s points are fair, Tampa Bay doesn’t really have the most frightening defensive numbers. The Buccaneers are a top-10 rushing defense, allowing just 92.6 yards per game (7th), but they have the 22nd-ranked passing defense (228.8 yards per game), and are allowing 22.3 points per game, which is 15th in the NFL.
Tampa Bay does have 25 sacks on the season, though, which is ninth in the league — three less than second place.
Nevertheless, Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers' head coach, is a well-respected defensive coach, and his team typically has a good game plan on that side of the ball. So while it could be a challenging day for Maye, challenges are great opportunities for individuals to further prove themselves.