Game 4

Bucs (2-1) at Belicheats (1-2)

Kickoff: 8:20 p.m.

TV: NBC (WFLA-TV Channel 8, locally).

Streaming: Fans may stream the broadcast from Buccaneers.com or on a mobile device using one of the following: Buccaneers official app, NBC Sports app, Peacock or Yahoo! Sports app. Geographic restrictions apply.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 81 (Bucs broadcast) or Channel 88 (Westwood One Radio broadcast).

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, almost a perfect night for football. Weather will be 62 at kickoff and should remain steady the rest of the evening. There is a 54 percent chance of rain in the fourth quarter. For tailgaters, the temperature in the afternoon is expected to be in the low 70s.

Odds: Per BetMGM, as of midnight Saturday, Bucs -7; over/under 49.5.

Zebras: The game will be officiated by Bill Vinovich and his crew who let players play. For referee crews who have worked three games thus far, Vinovich’s gang has thrown the second-least amount of flags (33), per Rotowire.com. If this set of officials has a weak spot, it is holding. Of the 33 flag Vinovich’s crew has thrown, 8 have been holding.

Outlook:  More and more Joe is thinking this is going to be a very close game. The loss of Rob Gronkowski is potentially massive. Not only is he a huge blocker, he is,of course, Tom Brady’s security blanket. Joe has a hunch Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are going to get a ton of targets. With the Bucs coughing up points at a terrible rate, Joe would say take the air out of the ball but that plays right into Bill Belicheat’s hands. First, the Bucs can’t run. Second, that will cut down on the Bucs’ scoring points big time. Advantage: Belicheat. The only thing that will save the defense in Joe’s mind is if Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles throws all sorts of exotic blitzes at rookie Mac Jones and confuses the heck out of him.

Trinkets: QB Tom Brady passed for 432 yards and had 2 touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing) in Week 3. Has 80,291 pass yards and can surpass Drew Brees (80,358) for most in NFL history. Spent 20 seasons (2000-19) with New England and is the Belicheats’ franchise’s all-time leader in wins (219), pass yards (74,571), pass touchdowns (541) and completions (6,377), all the most by any quarterback with one team. Led New England to 6 Super Bowl titles and 17 division titles and was a three-time NFL MVP and four-time Super Bowl MVP with Patriots. Totaled 1,025 completions, 11,388 pass yards, 73 touchdown passes and 30 wins in 41 postseason games with New England. … RB Giovani Bernard tied his career-high with 9 catches and had his 12th-career receiving touchdown in Week 3. … TE Rob Gronkowski spent 9 seasons (2010-18) with New England and had 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns, the most receiving touchdowns in franchise history. Had 81 receptions for 1,163 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 postseason games with New England. Has 8,668 receiving yards and can surpass Greg Olsen (8,683) for fifth-most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history. … WR Mike Evans had 8 catches for 106 yards in Week 3, his 29th-career 100-yard game. Since 2014, Evans ranks tied for second in receiving touchdowns (63) and third in receiving yards (8,471). … WR Chris Godwin had 6 receptions for 74 yards and his first-career rushing touchdown last week. He has a touchdown in 6 consecutive games, the longest active streak in NFL. … LB Lavonte David aims for his 17th game in a row with 5+ tackles. … LB Devin White aims for his 14th game in a row with 6+ tackles. Has 8 sacks and 9 tackles for loss in his past 6 road games. … OLB Shaq Barrett has 6 tackles for loss in his past 6 games. … QB Mac Jones (rookie) completed a season-high 30 of 51 passes (58.8 percent) for 270 yards and a touchdown against 3 picks and rushed for a season-high 28 yards last week. Leads all qualified rookies in passing yards (737), completions (81) and completion percentage (67.5). … RB Damien Harris has 50 or more scrimmage yards in 4 of his past 5 games. He rushed for 121 yards in his only career game on “Sunday Night Football” (November 2020 against Baltimore). … RB Brandon Bolden had 100 scrimmage yards (51 rushing, 49 receiving) in his last home meeting. … WR Jakobi Meyers had a season-high 9 catches for 94 yards last week. Shooting for his fourth in a row at home with at least six catches. … WR Kendrick Bourne set season highs in catches (6) and receiving yards (team-high 96) and had his first receiving touchdown of the season in Week 3. … WR Nelson Agholor looks for his third game in a row against the Bucs with at least 5 catches, 85-or more receiving yards and a touchdown catch. He has a touchdown catch in 2 of his past 3 on “Sunday Night Football.” … TE Hunter Henry had a season-high 5 catches last week. … TE Jonnu Smith had six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in his only career game against the Bucs (October 2019 with the Titans). … DB J.C. Jackson had a season-high 5 tackles in Week 3. He has a pass defensed in 2 of 3 games this season. He also has 11 interceptions since 2020, tied for most in the NFL. … DB Devin McCourty had 11 tackles in his last meeting. He aims for his third in a row on “Sunday Night Football with a pass defensed. … LB Matt Judon had a season-high 2.5 sacks last week, his 7th-career game with 2+ sacks. Aims for his third in a row with a sack. … LB Ja’Whaun Bentley led the Belicheats with 7 tackles and had a pass defensed in Week 3. Bentley looks for third in a row with 7+ tackles and a pass defensed. … LB Josh Uche aims for his third in a row with a sack.

Fun fact: As a rookie benchwarmer for the Belicheats in 2000, Brady watched the season opener at home in Foxborough Stadium from the sidelines as New England lost to the Bucs 21-16 behind a pair of Mike Alstott rushing touchdowns and a Shaun King TD pass to Reidel Anthony. Tampa Bay hasn’t beaten New England since, going 0-4 since Brady’s rookie season.

Another film session with @rondebarber 📽️ pic.twitter.com/ed0AibRecL

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 30, 2021

Enjoy today’s Ira Kaufman Podcast.

Derrick Brooks & Ira Kaufman are all over the iconic Bucs-Patriots matchup on Sunday. Presented by Converged Technology Professionals. TAMPA TWO always delivers.

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