Aiken's 54-yard touchdown catch was the highlight of the first half. (AP)

The Patriots picked up where they left off last week, hammering the Bucs out of the gate and jumping to a 21-7 halftime lead. Here are a few quick notes from the first half:

•Despite a pair of interceptions by Tom Brady, the Patriots are in control offensively. (Two really impressive picks from Tanard Jackson and Aqib Talib, with the first coming in the red zone, the first red-zone pick Brady has tossed since 2005.) Overall, Brady is 11-for-16 for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s hooked up with Wes Welker and Sam Aiken (his first career TD) on scoring strikes. Aiken has one catch for 54 yards, while Randy Moss has three catches for 53 yards and Welker has five catches for 41 yards.

•The defensive stud of the first half was safety Brandon Meriweather, who had two interceptions in the first six minutes of the game. He became the first Patriot to intercept two passes in a game since cornerback Asante Samuel picked a pair vs. Phily on Nov. 25, 2007. In addition, he became the first Pats defensive player to score a touchdown since Eugene Wilson returned a pick five yards for a touchdown on Dec. 16, 2007 against the Jets. Rookie safety Pat Chung also had a good first half with four tackles and a sack.

•Defensively, the Pats are stacking the line in an attempt to slow down running back Cadillac Williams, and have displayed multiple defensive fronts throughout the first two quarters. Williams, Tampa Bay’s No. 1 offensive option, has nine carries for 30 yards in the first half, and has run well despite being the focus of New England’s defense.

•Tampa got on the board with 1:14 left in the first half when Josh Johnson hit Antonio Bryant on a 33-yard connection, beating rookie Darius Butler in coverage for the score. (Butler made a nice pick on a Hail Mary from Johnson at the end of the first half.) Bryant leads Tampa with 51 receiving yards.

•Brandon Tate, who was officially activated Sunday morning, has seen limited action at wide receiver and in the kick return game. (Welker has been the punt returner for all five Tampa Bay punts.) Tate’s first yardage came on an end-around in the first quarter when he picked up 11 yards. He also returned the kick after Tampa’s touchdown for 22 yards. Mark LeVoir, who was also activated Sunday morning, has not yet played a snap for the Patriots.

•A week after being a healthy scratch for the first time since his rookie season with Baltimore, linebacker Adalius Thomas did draw a start, but has played roughly half the snaps for the Patriots. By my count, he’s been in for 12 snaps.