Th Patriots defense played well, but received little help by the offense. There were two early fumble recoveries by the defense which lead to a disappointing three-and-out display by the offense.
By the end of the half the defense could not keep the flood gates closed. The Buccaneers went into halftime up 10-0.
The Patriots finally jump-started their offense late in the third quarter, but it was too-little too-late for them as the Buccaneers were up 17-0.
So with time running out in the game the second stringers were sent into the game. Scott Zolak at quarterback took the team 75 yards down field and scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lovett Purnell.
But it was irrelevant as the Patriots lost 27-7.