The New England Patriots were under some pressure entering their Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Thursday, the Denver Broncos opened the week with a victory to improve to 8-2 on the season. Earlier on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts celebrated a win in Germany to tie their record and reclaim the top spot in the AFC.

For the Patriots to keep track with those two teams and stay well-positioned in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they needed a win as well — one against a tough opponent on the road. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel ended up delivering, beating the Bucs with a final score of 28-23 to earn a seventh straight W and improve to 8-2 as well.

Here are our lessons learned from the contest.

The Patriots are indeed a contender

Coming off a 4-13 season that

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