Buccaneers need a win against Patriots
Veteran quarterback Brady lines up against under-pressure Freeman
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t close out games, losing twice already on last-second field goals. The New England Patriots can’t seem to find the magic on offence, yet have pulled out two close victories.
When the Bucs visit the Patriots in the NFL today, it will be a study in contrasts.
Quarterback Tom Brady is squarely in charge of the Patriots when they have the ball, but is surrounded by mediocrity in skill positions. Counterpart Josh Freeman has been the centre of turmoil for the Bucs, struggling despite being surrounded by talent.
New England has made key plays at key moments; the Bucs have not.
‘‘There’s constant communication, so I think there’s a lot of trust that’s built up in the quarterback-receiver group,’’ said Brady, who will be without injured receiver Danny Amendola but might get back tight end Rob Gronkowski.
‘‘I said after the game [against the Jets] the burden’s on all of us. It’s not the receiver position. It’s the quarterback position most importantly. That’s what I need to focus on.
‘‘The better I am out there, the better we’re going to be as an offence. So I’ve got to focus on doing my job as best I can.’’
The focus on Freeman has involved everything but quarterbacking: missed meetings, supposed trade requests, questions about his leadership, and speculation about a strained relationship with coach Greg Schiano, which both parties deny.
‘‘Josh is going to be just fine,’’ Schiano said of the fifth-year pro, who was nine-of-22 passing for 125 yards, one touchdown, an interception and a fumble against New Orleans last week. ‘‘We just need to keep practicing and get better, get in the groove. It will come.’’
The Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers, set to meet today, are coming off strong performances after opening losses.
The Packers’ offence has been in sync from the beginning, but their defence has been spotty and must contend with Cincinnati’s versatile attack. Rookie Giovani Bernard has added flash to the running game, which already had the power of BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Green Bay got a real boost from running back John Starks after firstround pick Eddie Lacy went out with a concussion against Washington. Starks, one of the heroes of the 2010 championship team, rushed for a career-best 132 yards last weekend, but the Bengals are stingy against the ground game.
The team the Miami Dolphins host is not what the Atlanta Falcons hoped to field, with linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, defensive end Kroy Biermann and fullback Bradie Ewing on injured reserve, although Weatherspoon can return in Week 11. Running back Steven Jackson, Atlanta’s key off-season acquisition, is out with a thigh injury.
Miami’s best work has come in pressuring the quarterback, and without Jackson, how much of a threat is Atlanta’s ground game to provide any balance? The Dolphins have nine sacks, but also have allowed nine on Ryan Tannehill.
Week three kicked off on Thursday with Andy Reid making a successful return to Philadelphia with the Kansas City Chiefs. Eric Berry intercepted Michael Vick and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, Ryan Succop kicked four field goals and the Chiefs gave Reid a win against his former team with a 26-16 victory over the turnover-prone Eagles. Jamaal Charles added a short scoring run for Kansas City. Vick had a 22-yard touchdown pass and LeSean McCoy a 41-yard scoring run for Philadelphia.
Also today, it’s Indianapolis at San Francisco, Houston at Baltimore, Chicago at Pittsburgh, Jacksonville at Seattle, Arizona at New Orleans, Cleveland at Minnesota, Detroit at Washington, San Diego at Tennessee, St Louis at Dallas, the New York Giants at Carolina, and Buffalo at the New York Jets.
Tomorrow, Oakland travel to face Denver.