The New England Patriots will be taking on the Super Bowl defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Tom Brady returns to Gillette Stadium for the first time since departing. It's a tough matchup for New England, but they have a fighting chance. It's time to continue our NFL predictions series with a Patriots Week 4 prediction.
Bill Belichick is a defensive-minded coach and for that reason, it seems like his teams always have a legitimate defense. We'll see how they match up against the Buccaneers' passing attack, but the Patriots have a real chance to shut down the run game.
Things get interesting when the Patriots have the ball. Tampa Bay has a stifling rush defense New England likely can't handle. However, the Patriots are more efficient in passing anyway. With James White ruled out, we will see a different face working as the receiving back.
Due to Tampa Bay's weak pass defense, we could see Mac Jones have a big day. Lastly, Jakobi Meyers has been a consistent target but has yet to score. That could change on Sunday night. With that said, here are four bold Patriots Week 4 predictions against the Buccaneers.
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Patriots Week 4 Predictions
4. Patriots defense shuts down the Buccaneers run game
Tampa Bay is known to have a tough rush defense, but we could see New England give them a run for their money. Bruce Arians tends to feed the ball to Leonard Fournette who has been mediocre since his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Buccaneers have struggled running the ball recently and that could continue in Week 4.
This should be one of the keys to victories for the Patriots. Eliminating the run game is tough for any team to deal with. Doing so makes life harder on Tom Brady, which is exactly what the Patriots hope to achieve.
3. JJ Taylor takes over James White's role instead of Brandon Bolden
After James White fell to injury, Brandon Bolden stepped up and delivered in his absence. The Patriots are known to utilize a rotation of running backs in their scheme and it's nearly impossible to guess who will be featured on any given Sunday.
For that role, many believe Brandon Bolden will take over. However, JJ Taylor has the tools necessary to deliver as well. He's looked good with his limited amount of carries and Belichick might go with Taylor as his opponent likely doesn't have a ton of tape on him. Look for the Patriots to potentially switch things up as they'll try to catch the Buccaneers off guard.
2. Mac Jones keeps his team in it with a 3 touchdown game
Rookie quarterbacks have been struggling this year, but we could see Mac Jones put on a solid performance. Most of his completions are for short yardage gains, but that's also how the Patriots play football. Regardless, Jones is facing a vulnerable secondary and could have a great game on Sunday. Look for Jones to score multiple touchdowns against the Buccaneers as he'll attempt to make this a competitive game.
1. Jakobi Meyers records his first career touchdown
Bill Belichick mentioned briefly how Jakobi Meyers is similar to Julian Edelman. That's great news for Meyers' career outlook, as he'll likely serve as a reliable pass catcher for years to come. However, Meyers has yet to reach pay dirt, but that could change on Sunday night.
Most of the attention will be on Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, and Nelson Agholor, as usual. For that reason, the Buccaneers could lose track of Jakobi Meyers altogether. He's one of Mac Jones' favorite targets, meaning Meyers should be in for a big game. We'll see how it plays out, but we could see the Patriots' young receiver score his first career touchdown against the Buccaneers.
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