The Patriots travel to Tampa tonight to battle the Bucs on Thursday night football. At 2-2, the Patriots desperately need a win to avoid falling below . 500. It will not be easy as Jameis Winston and the upstart Bucs feature an explosive offense and young, aggressive defense.

Here are five keys to the game.

1. The Focus is on the Defense Tonight: The defense needs to be better, period! The pressure is on Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia tonight to prove that have fixed some of the issues that are plaguing this defense right now. This group must show improvement tonight or else it could be a long season.

2.  Pass Pro: Tom Brady has taken a beating thus far this season. As tough as he is, he won’t last if he keeps getting hit the way he has been. Tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon have especially struggled which is not good when you consider the fact that Tampa Bay doesn’t blitz a lot but tilts their defensive ends in wide nine techniques and lets them rush the passer. Both need to be better tonight otherwise it could be another long day of getting hit for Brady.

3. Find a Way to Run the Football: One of the ways the Patriots can protect Brady is by running the football better. Unless they fall behind tonight, Josh McDaniels should make more of a concerted effort to run the football. Being balanced keeps defenses honest and slows them down. the patriots will need to slow down Tampa’s aggressive front four.

4. Get Consistent Pressure on Winston: Jameis Winston will pick apart the struggling Patriots defense apart unless they find a way to get pressure on him. Pressure has been hard to come by this season. If the defensive line doesn’t help their ailing secondary by consistently pressuring Winston, it could be a long night in Tampa for the defense.

5. Get the Championship Swagger Back: The Patriots seem lifeless right now. They need to break out of this malaise they are in and the best way to do that is with a win. They need to get their swagger back. A blow out win would be a good way to get the swagger back.

Final Thoughts: If there was ever an early season must win game, this is it. The Patriots need to win this game. They do not want to fall below .500 and play catch up the rest of the season. There is no doubt this team is vulnerable right now but the talent and the leadership are in place for this team to turn things around and right the ship. It starts with winning up front. If the Patriots can dominate the line of scrimmage, they should win this game. It will not be easy however so expect another tight game.