The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on to defeat the New England Patriots, 30-28, in an exhibition on Friday night.
Patriots Vs. Buccaneers Final Score: Tampa Bay Holds Off New England, 30-28
The Bucs held a fairly comfortable 20-7 halftime lead over the Pats. Tampa Bay also led 30-14 in the final quarter, but New England stormed back, scoring two late touchdowns with less than five minutes left behind backup quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett threw two short touchdown passes to Jeremy Ebert and Jesse Holley to start the comeback. The Patriots’ ensuing onside kick after the second score was unsuccessful, though, and the Buccaneers were able to run out the clock.
New England starter Tom Brady’s performance was a bit of a mixed bag. He completed 13-20 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, but also had an interception.
Tampa Bay was backed by Josh Freeman, who was 10-19 for 102 yards. The Buccaneers kickers also connected on three field goals.
New England suffered four injuries in the contest, including a back/side injury to starting cornerback, Kyle Arrington. The severity of his injury isn’t yet known and the Patriots will hope to have him back soon.
For more on the New England Patriots, check out SB Nation’s blog Pats Pulpit. For the Bucs’ side, head over to Bucs Nation.
See More:
