Leading into Week 10, the Patriots (8-2) were riding high on a six-game winning streak.
The schedule continued lining up weak competition for New England, and they just kept knocking them down, one by one. Sometimes it was winning ugly, sometimes it was coming back to beat a bad team, and sometimes it was blowing out the competition all together.
Whatever it was, a win was a win. But with the Pats playing one of the easiest schedules in the history of the league (not hyperbole), the conversation around this team’s weak competition could not be ignored.
That all changed in Week 10, as the Patriots took the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa against the Buccaneers (6-3), marking the first time all season that two teams at least four games above .500 at kickoff were facing off.
This was, finally, a tough on-paper opponent for the Patriots. And depending on who you ask, it might only be the third time that’s happened all season.
And just like the previous six opponents, New England won the way they had to, outlasting the Buccaneers 28-23 to win seven straight games for the first time since 2021.
As you’re probably well-aware, 2021 was the last time New England made the postseason.
Barring a disaster, they’ll be back again in 2025. And by the looks of it, it’s not going to be a quick exit this time around.
Here are your Ups & Downs for Week 10:
Ups:
- Kyle Williams: Hey now!
Heading into Week 10, there was a fair amount of conversation around whether or not the rookie receiver out of Washington State was primed for his first breakout performance.
With Kayshon Boutte out with a hamstring injury, the door was opened for the 69th overall pick from this past spring to pick up a larger target share.
And even though he didn’t end the day with a handful of catches, we finally got to see the version of Williams we were all excited about after a big early showing during training camp in July.
On the first play of their third offensive possession, with time expiring in the first quarter, Maye found Williams for a short catch to his right. After making his man miss, Williams turned on the jets for a 72-yard touchdown - the longest touchdown for the Patriots offense in four years.
According to Next Gen Stats, Williams hit 21.78 miles per hour as he zoomed up the right sideline. As of that score, he was the fastest-ball carrier in the league on Sunday (more on that later).
If you see “72-yard touchdown” on paper, you probably say to yourself, “Dang, that’s why Drake Maye is an MVP candidate.” But when you watch the highlight, you see that this one was all Williams, all the way.
For a week, we got to see how Williams can impact a game when given the opportunity to do so. Let’s see if this huge, game-changing play opens up more opportunities for the rookie moving forward.
- Stefon Diggs: The veteran wideout came down with one of the best touchdown grabs you will see this season to end the first half.
No time on the clock. 4th and goal. Team down 10-7. Offense needed a play.
Maye threw the ball where only Diggs could get it, and he toe-tapped his way for just his third touchdown grab of the season.
Just watch:
Pats went into halftime up 14-10, and received the ball to start the second half, giving themselves a shot at the ol’ double whammy that Brady and Belichick made a weekly occurrence for almost 20 years in New England. And they did just that to open the second half (more on that later).
Diggs was huge for Maye all day long, grabbing 5 balls for 46 yards to go along with his score. His bounce-back season after suffering a torn ACL while playing for the Texans last October continues to be one football’s best comeback stories this year.
- Drake Maye: It wasn’t necessarily Maye’s best game under center. But that’s the mark of a great player. Even when he’s not playing at an elite level, he’s doing enough for his team to win games.
And make no mistake about it, there were still MVP-level plays made in this game. And we’ll get to that.
But with the QB under pressure all day long with Tampa blitzing more than just about anyone in the NFL, Maye was sacked just once. He was 16 for 31 passing for 270, with 2 touchdowns, an interception, and a passer rating of 89.4.
He deserves a ton of credit for placing that first half touchdown perfectly for Diggs. And he deserves credit for finding Williams in a position where he had room to burn down field for a 72-yard score.
While he has the skillset to wow you with his arm and legs, he’s showing that he doesn’t need to play that way to keep the train on the tracks. He’s becoming a true field general before our eyes.
In the fourth quarter, we saw the gift and the curse of Maye’s confidence in his arm on full display. On 3rd and 14 from the New England 38, Maye hit Mack Hollins on a beautiful 54-yard catch. That set the Patriots up for a 1st and goal from the Bucs 8.
Four plays later, on a 3rd and goal from the Bucs 2, Maye was picked in the end zone trying to force the ball to Hollins in the back right corner. He thought he could rifle the ball past two defenders. He was wrong.
The pick didn’t end up costing them the game. But for a brief moment, it looked like it might have.
Crisis averted, but I’m positive it will be difficult for Maye to focus on anything other than that bad decision in the coming days. I think that's part of what makes him great.
With the Bills (6-3) looking lost down in Miami (3-7) and the Chiefs on a bye, Maye overtook Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen as the favorite to win the 2025 NFL MVP Award at the sportsbooks. Even on a day that wasn’t his best, it was a big enough win while making enough big plays to vault him to the top.
- Mike Vrabel: We all know how good a job Vrabel has done this season with building a new culture. But give this man his flowers for the Xs and Os, too.
I came away incredibly impressed at how he handled the end of the first half, having Maye do a de facto kneel on 1st and goal, knowing Tampa didn’t have any more timeouts and wanting to make sure they had no chance to add points before the end of the second quarter. He wouldn't confirm postgame that this was his intention with that play, and Maye said he wasn't trying to go down on purpose. I don't believe Maye, and I appreciate Vrabel keeping his strategy close to the vest, as silly as that may seem.
To throw from the 1 yard line on 4th and goal with 2 seconds left in the half instead of taking the almost-guaranteed points with a field goal to tie the game at 10-10, that took both real guts, as well as a real understanding of what his talent was capable of pulling off.
It was a great sequence for the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year. There’s a reason why he’s back in the discussion for that award again this season.
- TreVeyon Henderson: Home run hitter, x2!
After a relatively quiet first half, Henderson took the second offensive snap of the second half 55 yards to the house.
After hitting the hole opened by Mike Onwenu, Henderson was essentially untouched for his second rushing score of the season.
According to Next Gen Stats, Henderson hit 22.01 miles per hour on that score. Like Williams, he was the fastest-ball carrier in the league on Sunday at the time of scoring.
What a day for rookies. If both of these guys can start to stack impactful plays, game after game, this offense is going to be scary when everyone is back and healthy.
…the last part is key (more on that later).
And it didn’t stop there.
With his team up 21-16 with under 2:00 to play, Henderson got the call on a toss play outside on 2nd and 9 from the Patriots 31.
A couple key blocks, and the Ohio State-product was, yet again, gone.
Henderson was running so fast on his 69-yard touchdown that he had the ability to look at the bench to see if the coaches could give him a signal on whether or not he should score or go down at the 1 to eat clock.
He saw what he needed to punch it in for his second score of the game, officially announcing to both the nation and Patriots fans everywhere that he had arrived.
Did Henderson just "Wally Pipp" Rhamondre Stevenson?
- K’Lavon Chaisson: Give the Week 7 AFC Defensive Player of the Week yet another sack, as he’s up to 6.5 on the season through 10 games. That’s a new career-high for a single-season.
That sack came on a key 3rd and 3 from the Buccaneers 30 yard line with under a minute to go in the first quarter, where Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield was scrambling behind the line of scrimmage with his eyes downfield, looking to make one of his patented off-kilter throws that has him in the MVP discussion halfway through the season.
Chaisson chased him down from behind for a 10-yard loss, forcing a punt on the next play. Pats got the ball back, and immediately scored on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Williams. An extra point later, and the game was tied at 7-7.
That’s the definition of complimentary football right there.
Fast-forward to the 4th quarter, and the Bucs were going for it on 4th and 3 from the New England 27 yard line. After the shotgun snap, Chaisson cut inside and pressured Mayfield into what should have been called a sack for one of Chaisson's teammates. It was the defensive play of the game.
After being an unheralded offseason addition, Chaisson has emerged as New England’s best pass rusher.
- Khyiris Tonga: It was yet another week where the Patriots brought in the 6-foot-4, 338-pound defensive tackle to play fullback on a short yardage situation.
On the Patriots’ opening possession on offense, they were faced with a 4th and 1 from their own 43 yard line. Tonga came in, and helped running back Terrell Jennings scoot left for a short first down gain.
Pats inevitably punted four plays later, but that wasn’t the end of Tonga playing offense on the day. New England put him in motion as a run blocker just one possession later, showing that Tonga is capable of even more than just falling forward with that big body. And on their final offensive possession of the first half, down by the goal line, we saw Tonga’s big body in there again to help try and punch the Pats in the end zone.
I wanted to give Tonga a hat tip in the “Ups” section for being an impact guy on both sides of the ball this season.
Until Sunday, New England’s run defense had been an unstoppable force. Tonga has been a huge part of that.
He’s been among the most underrated free agent additions to this team in 2025.
Downs:
- Slow-starting Defense Returns: Last week against the Falcons, it looked like New England had kicked the habit of allowing teams to march up the field with ease to open the ballgame.
Not so fast, my friend.
After a one week respite, New England’s defense was back to struggling on the opening drive of the game, as Tampa Bay got in the end zone on 6 plays across 65 yards, spanning 3:37. Three passes, three runs. It was surgical.
Before New England’s offense could even take the field, they were down 7-0. That’s not what you want against anyone, let alone a tough opponent on the road.
We need to see more of that opening drive defense we saw against the Falcons and less of the opening drive defense we saw on Sunday against the Bucs.
- Patriots Front Office: With Rhamondre Stevenson out for yet another week as he continues rehabbing an injured toe, the Patriots running back room was down to rookie TreVeyon Henderson, former practice squad player Terrell Jennings, and recently promoted practice squad player D’Ernest Johnson (if you play fantasy football, I’m sure you recognize that name).
Heading into the season, this was one of New England’s strongest position groups. Stevenson was going to be the bellcow, with Henderson and veteran Antonio Gibson used as change-of-pace backs, both clearly capable of making big plays.
But with Stevenson’s fumbling issues, Gibson’s torn ACL and Henderson’s slow start to the season, what was once viewed as a strength quickly became a group that needed help at the trade deadline.
That help never came, and Vrabel’s explanation for why was questionable, at best.
Fast forward to Sunday, and Jennings was in the blue tent with a knee injury. He did not return to the game, leaving the remaining rushing load for Henderson and Johnson to navigate.
I hate to end this thing on a negative note, but I’m afraid this lack of movement at the deadline is eventually going to bite the Patriots down the stretch. They better pray Stevenson comes back healthy soon, and that both he and Henderson can stay on the field (more on that next).
- Injuries to Monitor: As we mentioned, Jennings left the game with a knee injury.
We also saw safety Jaylinn Hawkins leave the game after some great end zone defense in the third quarter. He returned, but he looked to be in a lot of pain.
We also saw Marcus Jones and Christian Barmore both deal with something that had them shaken up. Both players returned to the game, but Barmore ended up re-exiting the game, being announced as questionable to return with a back injury.
We also saw Henderson get banged up on the day. In the third quarter on a 3rd and 10 from the Bucs 47, he got rolled up on by Maye as he scrambled for 5 yards out of bounds. He ended up returning to the ballgame, but how he’s used in the coming days will be an important storyline to monitor.
New England needs these guys healthy to be considered a true threat to win the Super Bowl. Simple as that.
With Week 11 being a short-rest game, it will be interesting to see if any of these guys are sat out for Thursday night.
As of publishing, the Patriots are 5.5-point favorites for their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Jets (2-7). You can get them at -220 on the moneyline, and the total sits at 42.5
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.