![]() ![]() At times against the Saints the front seven made life difficult on the dangerous Alvin Kamara but when the game was on the line New Orleans had success running between the tackles. The Patriots run defense has been better than in recent seasons but is still a work in progress. The Bucs average just 3.5 yards per carry (26th in the league) with Tom Brady and wideout Chris Godwin accounting for the team's lone rushing touchdowns. As a result the production hasn't been there as Leonard Fournette (24 carries, 94 yards) and Ronald Jones (15 carries, 52 yards) haven't been factors thus far. Tampa hasn't really tried to run the ball much this season, attempting just 48 rushes in three games. Expect Tampa to play the receivers tight and force Jones to beat them over the top until something changes. The Patriots haven't been able to consistently generate much through the air other than leading receiver Jakobi Meyers, who has 19 catches for 176 yards. Shaq Barrett has just one sack on the other side, and with little help up front the secondary has been in scramble mode every week. Jason Pierre-Paul sat out the loss to the Rams with a shoulder injury, allowing rookie Joe Tryon to take his place. The Bucs rank 31st in the league in passing yards allowed (338.3) and with just three sacks all season there hasn't been any pressure on the passer either. And Dean was knocked out of the Rams loss with a knee injury, leaving Dee Delaney and Rashard Robinson to fill in. Sean Murphy-Bunting is on injured reserve with an elbow injury, leaving Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean at corner with Antoine Winfield, Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards rounding out the secondary. On the positive side, Tampa Bay's secondary has been in disarray all season. The constant pressure forced some errant throws and Jones tossed three interceptions and was sacked twice in a 28-13 loss. Last week against the Saints that wasn't always the case. Mac Jones has been dealing with a lot of pressure and for the most part he's stood up well and delivered the ball accurately. Even if Brown returns the Patriots will be hard-pressed to get the ground game in gear against such a formidable foe. That group surrenders just 63.7 yards per game (fourth in the league) and 3.1 per rush (third) on the season. That task won't be any easier against a really tough Bucs front that features Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston in front of athletic linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David. Trent Brown's absence on the right side has something to do with that, but overall the offensive line needs to do a better job of creating space for Harris and the rest of the ball carriers. Otherwise he's carried 43 times for 112 yards, which translates to 2.6 yards per carry. He has two long runs this season – 35 yards on the first play of the season and a 29-yard touchdown in Week 2. Damien Harris runs hard and with determination, but he hasn't been productive enough to keep the offense in manageable third downs. Thus far in 2021 that hasn't been the case often enough. The Patriots want to be a physical offense that runs the ball to stay ahead of the chains.
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