FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Sunday Night Football makes its way to New England for the first time this season as the Patriots host golden-boy-turned-GOAT Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The game marks the first time Brady will face his former team since leaving for the Bucs before last season.
The Patriots (1-2) are coming off of a 28-13 loss to the Saints in Foxborough while the Buccaneers (2-1) are coming off of a 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week.
Tampa Bay doesn't feature any players with significant ties to Oklahoma, but the Patriots have a couple of familiar rookies who could have their chance to stand out against the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday night.
New England features a rotating group of little-known running backs that includes a former Oklahoma standout that Sooners fans should remember.
The Patriots picked Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and he looked promising in the preseason, finishing with an NFL-best 217 rushing yards and five touchdowns over three games.
The #NFLPreseason leader in rush yards and rush TDs?@patriots rookie RB Rhamondre Stevenson! 💪 @dreeday32 pic.twitter.com/kN3vOAkxCB
— NFL (@NFL) September 3, 2021
Stevenson was a healthy scratch from their last two games, but the injury to James White could open up the opportunity he needs to catch head coach Bill Belichick's eye.
Their third-round draft pick Ronnie Perkins currently sits behind Matt Judon on the Patriots depth chart, facing a much tougher battle to see the field than his fellow Sooner rookie.
Judon has played at a Pro Bowl level through the first three games of the season and likely won't concede any snaps to Perkins without injury.
Football coverage starts Sunday at 6 p.m. CST on KJRH-TV.
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