On a brutally hot afternoon for the Tampa Bay Bucs' 50th season celebration, the creamsicle melted but Baker Mayfield once again kept his cool.
Fortunately for the Bucs, the gutsy quarterback led another late, game-winning drive under extreme duress – paving the way for their third straight dramatic comeback victory in as many games this season, a 29-27 decision over the winless New York Jets, and their first 3-0 start since 2005.
Maybe we should blame it on the old orange and white uniforms from 1976 that the Bucs donned for their home opener Sunday against the New York Jets. Their 14 penalties for 124 yards – including 10 in the first half alone, and mind-boggling five on their opening drive – conjured images of those baby Bucs from their hapless expansion era.
And their near give-away of a game – one in which they led by 23-6 late in the third quarter and 26-13 with just over six minutes to play – seemed like a page ripped from the bad old Buc days.
But with a boatload of former players and coaches on hand for the golden anniversary festivities, they once again managed to pull it out at the 11th hour – with rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka once again contributing more highlight-reel footage – including a dazzling, one-handed, 30-yard catch early on to set up a touchdown – and cornerback Jamel Dean’s 55-yard interception for a touchdown, one of Tampa Bay’s first two takeaways of the season.
The win came after what appeared to be a messy yet routine victory in the making following nail-biting comebacks on the road to start the season against Atlanta and Houston. And to be fair, at least some of the penalty flags – 10 in the first half and five alone on their first drive alone – could be attributed in part to an offensive line wracked with injuries and manned by a makeshift unit playing without three starters.
One of rookie Emeka Egbuka's team-leading six catches for 85 yards. @ Nathan Ray Seebeck“We had a few more penalties than we’re used to today, but I’m just so proud of these guys (on the offensive line) and the way they battled,” Mayfield said. “We as a skill group have to do better. We have to complete some more passes and explosive plays – there’s a lot of potential there that we missed on to make it easier on them. But in critical moments, those guys did their jobs and we found a way to win.”
But with less than two minutes to play, it looked as if they might have found a way to lose. The scrappy Jets under new head coach Aaron Glenn were making a run at an amazing comeback of their own – with veteran backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor at the helm inn place of injured starter Justin Fields. Taylor’s touchdown to wide receiver Allen Lazzard on fourth and goal from the 4 with 3:40 remaining made it uncomfortably close for the Bucs, suddenly clinging to a 26-20 lead.
Spurred by a 33-yard Mayfield scramble, the Bucs marched right back into position to put the game out of reach with a revitalized Chase McLaughlin field goal. After key misses in the first two games, raising concerns about his future with the team, McLaughlin had already booted three field goals in the game, including a 55-yarder. But his attempt from 43 with play was blocked by defensive end Will McDonald, who fielded the ball on the run and returned it for a 50-yard touchdown. With the extra point, the Jets now held a 27-26 lead with 1:49 to play.
Just like that, the Bucs were in danger of suffering a most deflating defeat at their big bash, leaving the previously jubilant crowd– and head coach Todd Bowles – in disbelief.
“(What were) my thoughts while he was running for a touchdown?” he remarked. “Excuse my language, but you’ve got to (freaking) be kidding me. And after that, you see how much time is on the clock, and you calm down and try to win the game.”
Mayfield went to work. On second and 10 from his 34, with star wide receiver Mike Evans having left the game with a hamstring injury, Mayfield turned to the new kid on the Buc block. In the second quarter, Egbuka had made a one-handed grab a la Odell Beckham for a 30-yard gain that helped set up Mayfield’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Evans for a 13-6 lead with 11:15 left in the first half.
“One-hand catch – he was disrespecting my passes downfield with one hand,” Mayfield joked. “Rookies.”
Now he connected with Egbuka – coming into the game tied for the NFL lead with three touchdown catches – for a 28 yard gain to the Jets 38. And the first-round pick nearly pulled down a circus catch on the next play, securing a deep pass down the right sideline and appearing to drag both feet in bounds, though he was surprisingly ruled out on review.
No matter. Mayfield proceeded to calmly connect with his old University of Oklahoma teammate Sterling Shepard for a 20 yard gain over the middle. And three plays later, McLaughlin – having apparently recaptured his stellar form from 2024 – booted his fourth field goal and the game winner from 36 yards away as time ran out.
For Mayfield, the offense’s ability to pull out another win in the final minute for three weeks running speaks volumes.
“It is much of the same, resilient group, we stick together,” he said. “The whole team, when one part of it, one phase of it is a little bit down, others (have) to pick it up and be there for you. That’s what this team is all about, we support each other no matter what. It is a resilient, mentally tough group.”
Added Dean: “It shows that we are going to fight until the end and that we’re trending in the right direction, knowing that each game we don’t give up until the last second is over.”
In the end, in spite of the glitches and unexpected tension, the win is all that mattered..
“3-0 is important,” Bowles said. “It’s important to win in this league. A lot of teams be crying because they lost close games. We lost some last year. We’re winning them this year. So we’re extremely happy about that.”
And delighted to close out the 50th anniversary party in style.
NOTES:
• In all of the four other instances of the Bucs starting 3-0 (1979, 1997, 2000, 2005), they went went on to make the playoffs.
• Tampa Bay – already the first team in NFL history to win each of its first two games of a season with touchdowns in the final minut – became the first team since the 1970 merger with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation in each of their first three games of the season. The Bucs became the third team in NFL history (also, 1994 New York Giants, 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers) to have three straight games in a single season in which they record a go-ahead score in the final minute of a game.
• The Buccaneers limited the Jets to 99 yards rushing, their 11th straight game limiting opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground dating back to last season. Since Week 10 of the 2024 season – the start of Tampa Bay’s streak – the team has limited opponents to 3.3 average yards per carry, the best mark in the NFL over that span. The Buccaneers entered the day ranking fifth in the NFL with an average of 76.5 rushing yards per game allowed this season. Through Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. slate of games, Tampa Bay’s 3.6 opponent yards per carry this season is the sixth-best mark in the NFL, with their 6.10 defensive rush EPA ranking first.
• -Mayfield completed 19-of-29 passes (65.6%) for 233 yards and one touchdown pass, with no interceptions, to generate a 101.7 passer rating, adding four carries for 44 yards. During Tampa Bay’s last possession, he completed two passes for 47 yards and generated a 93.8 passer rating while leading Tampa Bay into scoring position. Since Mayfield joined the Bucs, he leads the NFL in passer rating (101.6), passing yards (571), and is tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns (five) with under two minutes remaining in regulation (min. 50 pass attempts).