On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw a 17-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate when New York Jets edge rusher Will McDonald jumped over their field goal unit's front line, blocked Chase McLaughlin's field goal attempt and ran 50 yards with the loose ball for a 27-26 Jets lead. Then they saw the game clock.
There were 109 ticks left on the clock when Anderson crossed the goal line, and as quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers' offense continue to demonstrate, that's too much time to give this team with the game on the line.
Said Tampa Bay Head Coach Todd Bowles about his thoughts while the nightmarish blocked field goal play was happening, with some editing to make this more family friendly (emphasis added): "My thoughts while he was running for a touchdown? 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."
Indeed. After McDonald's go-ahead score, the Buccaneers calmly drove 48 yards on seven plays to set McLaughlin up again, this time on a 36-yarder. He drilled it and the Bucs went to 3-0 after the third straight outing in which they posted the game-winning points in the final minute of regulation. Thrilling? Challenging for the fast-beating hearts of Buccaneers fans everywhere. Yes and yes. Also, no team has ever done this before.
Heading into Week Three, the Buccaneers were already the first team to win each of its first two games of a season with go-ahead scores in the final minute. Now they are the third team to accomplish this feat three weeks in a row at any point in a season, joining the 1994 New York Giants and the 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers. And they are the first team ever to do this three times in a row to start a season.
"It is much of the same, resilient group, we stick together," said Mayfield. "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."
In Week One, the Buccaneers took down the division-rival Falcons in Atlanta, 23-20, when Mayfield hit rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left. In Week Two, Mayfield commanded a two-minute drill that ended with Rachaad White running in the game-winning score with six seconds left. When the Jets scored just under the two-minute warning on Sunday, did Mayfield think, "Hey, we've got them just where we want them?"
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"Not exactly what I was thinking," he said, "but we had plenty of time, yeah."
Mayfield hit critical completions of 28 yards to Egbuka and 20 yards to Sterling Shepard to get McLaughlin in range for the game-winner. Even new to the team, Egbuka wasn't at all surprised to see Mayfield deliver in the clutch.
"Nothing I didn't already know," said Egbuka. "We see it every single day in practice. He's a natural born leader – someone who is willing to die on the field before giving up or shutting down. I think it's pretty special to have someone like that at the helm of your offense and at the helm of your team, so we're in good hands."
McLaughlin made all five of his field goals that weren't blocked, including 55 and 54-yard shots to help the Bucs outlast the Jets. He couldn't do much about McDonald's incredible play, but he believed he'd get another shot even after the Jets scored. Most of that was based on a belief in Mayfield, particularly.
"Yeah, all I can say about that is when I came off the field I turned straight to Riley [Dixon] and Evan [Deckers] and said, 'Hey, we're going to get another chance at this.' I knew Baker and the boys were going to drive down and give us another chance so hats off to them for getting us in range, and for us, to be able to execute."
And Bowles? After the f-bombs went off in his head during McDonald's touchdown return, did he think Mayfield was going to make it right?
"One thousand percent," he said. "It's been like that since he got here."