It's been straight up easy for the New England Patriots so far in their second preseason game, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't put up any kind of a fight in the first half. The Pats lead by a score of 28-0 and they've been more or less walking the ball up the field, scoring touchdowns on four of their six first half possessions. They've been equally impressive going the other way, as Tampa have been unable to run the ball, while Josh Freeman got no time to throw the ball while he was in the game.
The Bucs are averaging just 1.8 yards per carry on the ground, while quarterbacks Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson have combined for a 40 percent pass completion rate. The pressure up front, against both the run and the pass, has been absolutely relentless from the Patriots' front seven, who don't look like they're playing a preseason game.
Tom Brady played the entirety of the first half, going 11/19 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez made his job easy, while both BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead were fantastic on the ground. Hopefully for the Buccaneers, their backups fare a bit better in the second half.
For more on the two teams, check out our Tampa Bay Buccanneers blog Bucs Nation and our New England Patriots blog Pats Pulpit.