It was a big moment for Tom Brady as he returned to Gillette Stadium with his Tampa Bay Buccaneers team to take on the New England Patriots. Many believed this was an easy game for Tampa Bay to win, but New England kept it close throughout. It's time to continue our NFL takeaways series with a Buccaneers Week 4 takeaway.

The Buccaneers stepped up defensively which played a huge role in obtaining the victory. This team typically struggles to defend the pass, but they stepped up when it mattered most. As long as the defense plays like they did against the Patriots, the Bucs will have a chance to beat anybody.

Offensively, the Buccaneers didn't quite look like themselves. Bill Belichick seemed to have their offense figured out and the Patriots kept this matchup a close scoring contest. Even so, the Buccaneers run game could use improvement and it's a rather easy fix. Additionally, Tom Brady didn't have the best game by any means on Sunday night. With that said, here are three Buccaneers Week 4 takeaways from their game against the Patriots.

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Buccaneers Week 4 Takeaways

3. Buccaneers defense played great

It's no secret about how great the Buccaneers rush defense is. They routinely stuff their opponents and force them to throw the ball. That was the case on Sunday night, as the Patriots recorded -1 rushing yard (no that's not a typo) off of eight carries.

New England was forced to throw the ball often as that was their only way of moving the ball. Even so, Mac Jones was able to throw for a modest 275 yards on the evening. The rookie had a solid game, but it wasn't enough to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions. The addition of Richard Sherman seemed to help a tad and he should improve as the season progresses.

Look for the Tampa Bay defense to continue shutting down the run game. If they can figure out how to slow down the pass, then watch out. The Buccaneers would become impossible to defeat and would likely be on their way to another Super Bowl.

2. Ronald Jones deserves more opportunities

Bruce Arians has to have some sort of personal vendetta against Ronald Jones. There is simply no good reason for Jones to only receive six carries in a game. He's done well with his limited opportunities and is every bit better than Leonard Fournette.

Jones recorded the only Buccaneers touchdown on Sunday which helped give his team the narrow lead they needed to defeat the Patriots. We'll see if Arians gets Ronald Jones more involved, but don't get your hopes up. We could see Jones demand for a trade soon, as he deserves a starting role on a team. Keep an eye on this situation as the NFL trade deadline slowly approaches.

1. Tom Brady and the Bucs looked average

They came out with the win, but Tom Brady and his team didn't look all that great. Brady finished the contest with just 269 passing yards, going 22/43 on the evening. Bill Belichick and the coaching staff knew exactly what to do to slow down Tom Brady.

Maybe New England displayed the blueprint on how to beat the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay won the game in the end, but they weren't impressive whatsoever. Even so, expect Tom Brady to bounce back in Week 5 as the Buccaneers face a struggling Miami Dolphins team.