Patriots Snap Counts Reveal Depth Quality in Buccaneers Win

Offense Observations:

The Patriots had six players align for every snap on offense: quarterback Drake Maye and the entire starting offensive line consisting of rookie left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Jared Wilson, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Michael Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses. It was the ninth time in ten games that the entire starting offensive line went the distance.

With Rhamondre Stevenson once again sidelined due to a toe injury, rookie TreVeyon Henderson aligned on 51 snaps, bringing his total to 102 snaps over the last two games. The Pats’ 38th overall selection in April’s draft turned in what — by consensus — appears to be the performance of the day. Henderson carried the ball 14 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns. eternal Terrell Jennings was limited to five snaps before leaving the game due a knee injury, which he suffered in the first half. Practice squad elevation D’Ernest Johnson aligned on six snaps in relief of Jennings, earning one yard on one carry.

Despite aligning on 28 snaps on defense — as one of the league’s most fearsome run stoppers — tackle Khyiris Tonga has parlayed his preventive success as a fullback/blocker in jumbo packages on offense. Tonga took part in eight offensive plays, helping to fortify New England’s blocking unit.

Receiver Kyle Williams (career-high 34 snaps) put himself in the national spotlight by scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 72-yard pass from Maye — not only the longest pass of the quarterback’s career, but also the longest touchdown of the season for the Patriots. Still, it was veteran Mack Hollins who led all receivers with 48 snaps, while catching six passes for 106 yards. Hollins has now aligned on 62.5 percent of the Pats’ offensive snaps, the most of any player at his position.

Defense

On defense the Pats overall snap count was 69 versus the Buccaneers.

Defense Observations

The Patriots had four players align on every defensive snap in Week 9: linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis and safety Craig Woodson. Spillane has been a Patriots’ iron-man of sorts, aligning on 97 percent of the team’s plays on defense through the season’s first ten games. The Pats captain finished the day having logged nine total tackles and one pass deflection.  

In the absence of linebacker Christian Elliss, reserve Jack Gibbens aligned on a season-high 41 snaps, while logging a team-high 10 tackles. Gibbens’ skill, tenacity and determination have earned him a significant role within the Patriots defense with Elliss continuing to recover from a hip injury.

In addition to playing on every defensive snap in Week 10, Gonzalez continues to stand out in the Pats’ increased man-coverage looks. New England is smartly playing to Gonzalez’s strengths, matching him against Bucs’ Star receiver Emeka Egbuka. Gonzalez won most of his battles with the electrifying rookie, including two third-down stops and thwarting one red-zone target. In nine man-coverage matchups, Gonzalez only allowed one catch to Egbuka on three targets for 11 yards. While Egbuka did have more success against Gonzalez when the Pats All-Pro was shadowing him, Gonzalez’s ability to contain their opponent’s top receiver appears to be a strategy which New England will continue to employ for the foreseeable future.

The defense provided arguably the game-saving play for the Pats with a team effort from all three levels. Facing a completed the stop on the ensuing 4th-and-3 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, linebacker K’Lavon Chiasson (48 snaps) began the pressure of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, which ultimately culminated in defensive tackle Milton Williams (47 snaps) and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (66 snaps) forcing him to turn the ball over on downs with swarming coverage. In short, the teamwork of three of the Pats most-reliable defenders helped deliver the team its eighth victory of 2025.