New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are riding a six-game win streak into their Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, it’s clear that, aside from their Week 5 clash with the Buffalo Bills, this will be the toughest challenge second-year quarterback Drake Maye has faced in the NFL.
There’s no doubt that the Patriots have benefited from playing a historically easy schedule this season. And while they have looked great against lesser opposition, playing the Bucs gives the team a chance to see where they stack up against another de facto playoff contender.
The matchup that may determine the outcome in this one revolves around how Maye will fare against Tampa Bay’s defense. When looking at this game, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky explained why this unit could give Maye trouble under center.
“This will be the biggest challenge Drake Maye has faced in his NFL career,” Orlovsky said on “Get Up.” “This defense, No. 1, very good against the run. Then, two, it makes you constantly think.
They’re constantly changing the question on you, pre-snap to post-snap. ‘This pressure is coming from here. This guy is dropping from here. This coverage is rotating that way.’ He hasn’t really seen that. So we’re going to know a lot more about Drake Maye, just as far as how, how, how good, after this week.”
Through nine games, Maye hasn’t appeared to be bothered all that much by any of the opposing defenses he has faced. That could change quickly against Tampa Bay, as it has players at every spot that can impact the game in a big way.
New England already has a defining win in its pocket after taking down Buffalo earlier this season, but with so much hype surrounding the team, you can make an argument that this is its biggest game of the season. Kickoff for this highly anticipated clash is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
