The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the New England Patriots by a score of 20-7 at halftime of their preseason game. Josh Freeman is only 8-for-14 for 84 yards, but Tampa Bay's defense has come through with big plays to put the team ahead.
The Bucs opened the game with an 8-play, 68-yard drive to go up 7-0. Freeman was 3-for-3 for 49 yards on the drive, all to Vincent Jackson. Doug Martin picked up the touchdown, diving in from the one yard line.
The defense made their presence felt next, putting pressure on Tom Brady, including a brutal hit to force a fumble that New England was able to recover.
They followed that up with an interception, with safety Mark Barron making off with a pass intended for Rob Gronkowski that Ronde Barber had managed to get a hand on.
The defense forced another fumble later, but it was ruled that Tampa Bay had recovered it out of bounds. The defense may have looked good, but the offense continued to struggle in the second quarter. They managed only one drive of more than five plays, with the four drives in the half resulting in two field goals and two punts. The offense took another blow in the closing minutes of the half, as guard Davin Joseph had to be carted off the field after sustaining a knee injury. He was replaced by Ted Larsen.
Stick with this StoryStream for scores, injury updates and more from the Buccaneers vs. Patriots preseason game. For all things Buccaneers, head over to Bucs Nation. For the Patriots perspective, check out Pats Pulpit.