ClutchPoints
The New England Patriots continue to rise above expectations, and they won their seventh game in a row Sunday, beating the defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The victory meant the Patriots had swept their four-game series against the NFC South teams, and head coach Mike Vrabel welcomed each of his players back by shaking their hands and yelling, “NFC South champs.”
As Mike Vrabel greeted each player on their way back to the locker room, he kept saying, “NFC South champs! NFC South champs!” — a reference to the quality of opponent the Patriots beat. pic.twitter.com/COitn2HvVr
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 9, 2025
The Patriots used explosive plays to get the better of the Buccaneers in Tampa. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson had touchdown runs of 69 and 55 yards while quarterback Drake Maye threw a pair of TD passes. Henderson had 14 carries for 147 yards as he averaged an eye-opening 10.5 yards per carry.
Maye continues to play scintillating football as he threw for 270 yards and had just 1 interceptions. The New England offensive line did an excellent job of blocking for Maye and they protected him from the Tampa Bay pass rush. Maye was sacked just once for a small 1-yard loss.
The Patriots have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. They were able to extend their advantage while beating Tampa Bay because the Bills suffered a surprising loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Owner Robert Kraft was hoping that the Patriots would demonstrate some improvement after finishing the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. He could not have expected to become a first-place team so quickly.
While Maye has been getting much of the credit since he plays the most important position on the field, Vrabel has gotten a complete buy-in from his team.
Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs were the leading receivers for the Patriots. Hollins caught 6 passes for 106 yards while Diggs caught 5 passes for 46 yards and 1 touchdown.
Linebacker Jack Gibbens had a team-leading 10 tackles along with 1 tackle for loss and 1 pass batted down. Defensive back Christian Gonzalez had 9 tackles and was credited with 1 pass defensed.
The Patriots will try to extend their winning streak to 8 games when they host the New York Jets Thursday night.
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