Tampa Bay @ New England preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 16, 2013 ) Tampa Bay 21, New England 25

If there was any doubt of how razor-thin the margin is between winning and losing in the NFL, no teams better exemplify that than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots. The Buccaneers, with two last-second losses by a combined three points, will look to avoid an 0-3 start when they visit the undefeated Patriots on Sunday. New England is shooting for its third straight win following narrow victories over Buffalo and the New York Jets - two teams starting rookie quarterbacks.

The Patriots are attempting to open 3-0 for the first since running the table during their perfect 2007 regular season. The Buccaneers not only have to deal with a pair of galling defeats to the Jets and New Orleans Saints, but there have been reports out of Tampa Bay of widespread discontent with head man Greg Schiano, fueled by the news that star cornerback Darrelle Revis met with the coach on Tuesday. "They're a couple plays away from being 2-0," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the Bucs and Schiano. "I think he's an outstanding coach."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Patriots -8.5. O/U: 43.5.

ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (0-2): Tampa Bay saw a victory snatched away in Week 1 due to a boneheaded penalty and watched New Orleans drive for the winning score in the final 66 seconds a week ago. Quarterback Josh Freeman is under siege after consecutive subpar outings - he was only 9-for-22 for 125 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Saints - to spark speculation that he could lose his starting job to rookie Mike Glennon. The Buccaneers have dangerous weapons in second-year running back Doug Martin (209 yards rushing) and wideout Vincent Jackson (231 yards receiving), and the defense has been stout in allowing an average of 17 points.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (2-0): Tom Brady is coming off one of the worst games of his career, failing to complete 50 percent of his passes for the first time since the 2009 season in an ugly 13-10 win over the Jets on Sept. 12. With wideout Danny Amendola (groin) and running back Shane Vereen (wrist) set to miss a second straight game and tight end Rob Gronkowski still rehabbing from multiple offseason surgeries, Brady has been forced to lean on Julian Edelman (20 receptions) and untested rookies in the receiving corps. Starting running back Steven Ridley has rushed for only 86 yards in two games while the defense has forced six turnovers to tie for second in the league.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brady has thrown a touchdown pass in 50 consecutive games, four shy of Drew Brees' NFL record.

2. The teams last met at London's Wembley Stadium in 2009, with New England rolling to a 35-7 victory.

3. The Patriots are 31-3 in their last 34 home games.

PREDICTION: Patriots 23, Buccaneers 17