Jalon Daniels sparks another comeback as the Buccaneers rally past the Chiefs for a preseason win.
Tampa Bay was held scoreless for nearly three quarters against the Kansas City Chiefs, but undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels came to the rescue for the Buccaneers (2-0) for the second week in a row in a come-from-behind 16-15 win on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield made his first appearance of the preseason taking the field for the Bucs’ first two drives of the game, but was unable to secure a first down on either drive. Both teams finished the first quarter with three drives ending in punts and zero points.
The Chiefs (0-2) opened the scoring with 10:18 left in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal by Harrison Butker after Justin Fields led them on an 11-play drive.
After taking over for Mayfield on the third drive of the game, primary backup quarterback Jake Browning struggled to get the offense going. While the Bucs next two drives ended in a punt and a turn over on downs, Butker extended the Chiefs’ lead to 9-0 with a 58-yard field goal and a 69-yarder as time expired in the first half.
Browning started the second half for the Bucs but despite a 22-yard completion to Kameron Johnson, took a sack on third-and-5 to end the drive.
After the Tampa Bay defense forced a three-and-out on the Chiefs’ next drive, Daniels took over the offense and the game. On his first play of the game with 10:41 left in the third quarter, Daniels connected with wide receiver Dean Patterson for a 24 yard completion. Daniels added a 10-yard run and a 5-yard completion to Patterson to take the Bucs to the Chiefs’ 15-yard line.
Four plays later Daniels capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown toss to tight end Ko Keift to cut the lead to 9-7 with 6:50 left in the third quarter. Kansas City scored their first touchdown of the game on the next drive to extend the lead to 15-7 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
Daniels led the Bucs on another scoring drive to open the fourth quarter that ended with a 46-yard field goal by BT Potter to cut the lead to 15-10 with 14:05 left in the game. Three players later cornerback Roman Parodie picked off a Chris Oladokun pass to give the Buccaneers the ball back Kansas City 22-yard line.
After Daniels led them to the 2-yard line with his arm and legs, Sean Tucker plunged into the end zone with 10:05 left in the fourth quarter, giving Tampa Bay its first lead of the game.
The Chiefs would drive to the Tampa Bay 24-yard line on their next drive, but Butker missed a 43-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the game. Daniels then ended the game with a 12-yard first-down pass to Johnson on third-and-3 with 2:18 left in the contest.
Daniels finished the game 9-of-14 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield completed just two passes on four attempts for yards, while Browning finished 8-of-11 passing for yards. It was the second consecutive game the Buccaneers have not committed a turnover.
The Buccaneers will finish the preseason schedule on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 28.
