Friday 6 October 2017 07:08, UK
The New England Patriots are looking to bounce back from a second shock defeat in the opening four weeks of the season with a trip to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers, live on Sky Sports.
The defending Super Bowl Patriots (2-2) went down 33-30 at home to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, while the Buccaneers (2-1) beat the New York Giants 25-23 with a game-winning field goal late on.
But who comes out on top when New England play for the first time in Tampa since November 1997? Watch live on Sky Sports Action from 12.30am on Friday morning to find out.
In 140 characters...
Can the Patriots get their season back on track with a Thursday night win in Tampa Bay, or will the Bucs dominate their struggling defence?
What's the latest?
After missing the first three games of the season, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has officially been activated to the 53-man roster and expects to play Thursday night against the New England Patriots.
The two-time Pro Bowler was suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances last year. He began serving his four-game suspension in Week 17.
Stat attack
With a win over Tampa Bay on Thursday, Brady - who currently has 185 career regular-season victories as a starting QB - would tie Hall of Famer Brett Favre and Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history (186).
Buccaneers Cameron Brate's touchdown in the win over the New York Giants last week means he now has 10 TDs since 2016, the most among tight ends in the league.
Key battle
Brate is just one of the multiple weapons the Tampa Bay offence posses. There's also fellow tight end, and rookie, O.J. Howard, returning RB Martin, and one of the strongest wide receiver pairings in the league in Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson.
While Jackson has not quite clicked with QB Jameis Winston in his first three games after signing this offseason, the same certainly can't be said of Evans. Since 2015, Winston's favourite target ranks third in the NFC in receiving yards (2,754) and ties for fourth in TD catches (17).
Can the Patriots stop him and, more specifically, Winston? New England have allowed opposing QBs to throw for 300+ passing yards in all four of their games so far this season, with Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton the latest - torching the Pats secondary for 316 yards and three TDs, plus one rushing.
Game-changer
Brady. While the Patriots as a team have not been at their blistering best so far this season, 'Tom Terrific' certainly has been - the 40-year-old evergreen quarterback leads the NFL with 1,399 passing yards through four games, ties for the league lead with 10 touchdown passes and ranks second with a 116.6 passer rating. With the defence stuttering, it's key Brady ensures the offence keeps pace in Tampa.
Watch the New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Action (407) from 12.30am on Friday.
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