The Tampa Bay Buccaneers prevailed in the most entertaining game of the NFL's Week Five slate, beating the Seahawks in a battle of 3-1 first-place teams at Lumen Field in Seattle, 38-35, on Chase McLaughlin's walk-off 39-yard field goal. The wild shootout win included star turns from multiple Buccaneers, including captain and franchise legend Lavonte David with an interception to set up the winning score, but perhaps none shined brighter than the prolific combination of quarterback Baker Mayfield and rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Egbuka continued his campaign for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year – he was the Rookie of the Month in September – by welcoming October with seven catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight 100-yard outing and he now owns three of the top five yardage games for rookie receivers this season.
In all, Egbuka now has a team-high 25 receptions for 445 yards and five touchdowns, and he is averaging 17.8 yards per reception. He is now the first player in NFL history with 25-plus receptions, 400-plus receiving yard and five or more receiving touchdowns in his first five career games. Forget his rookie status; Egbuka is top-five in the NFL among all players in receiving yards, touchdown catches and yards per reception.
Most Receiving Yards, NFL, 2025
1. Puka Nacua, Rams: 588
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks: 534
3. Justin Jefferson, Vikings: 449
4. Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers: 445
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions: 407
Most Touchdown Receptions, NFL, 2025
1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions: 6
2t. Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers: 5
2t. Rome Odunze, Bears: 5
2t. George Pickens, Cowboys: 5
5t. 7 tied with: 4
Most Yards Per Reception, NFL, 2025
1. Tyquan Thornton, Chiefs: 18.2
2. Calvin Ridley, Titans: 18.1
3. Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers: 17.8
4. DK Metcalf, Steelers: 17.4
5. Ricky Pearsall, 49ers: 16.4
Egbuka is just the third rookie in Bucs franchise history to record a game with 150-plus receiving yards, joining Mark Carrier, who had a 212-yard game in 1987 and Mike Evans, who turned in a 209-yard performance in 2014. Egbuka's totals for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches are all the most a Buccaneer has ever produced in his first five games.
Egbuka came up big in his home state of Washington largely thanks to the precise passing of Baker Mayfield, who completed 29 of 33 attempts for 379 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 134.7 passer rating. Mayfield became just the fourth passer since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to throw for 375-plus receiving yards and complete more than 85% of his passes. The other three were Tom Brady with the Patriots on Oct. 18, 2009, Lamar Jackson with the Ravens on Oct. 11, 2021 and Justin Herbert with the Chargers on Sept. 24, 2023. Mayfield's completion rate of 87.9% was the second-best in a single game in franchise history (minimum 20 attempts) and the best for any quarterback who threw it at least 30 times.
Highest Single-Game Completion Percentage, Buccaneers History
(minimum 20 pass attempts)
| Player | Opponent, Date | Comp. | Att. | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinny Testaverde | vs. Green Bay, 9/13/92 | 22 | 25 | 88.0% |
| Baker Mayfield | at Seattle, 10/5/25 | 29 | 33 | 87.9% |
| Mike Glennon | vs. Atlanta, 11/17/13 | 20 | 23 | 87.0% |
| Steve DeBerg | at Detroit, 10/14/84 | 25 | 29 | 86.2% |
| Baker Mayfield | vs. Carolina, 12/29/24 | 27 | 32 | 84.4% |
View the postgame celebration of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' regular season Week 5 win vs. the Seattle Seahawks
Mayfield recorded his first 300-yard game of the season and his 12th since joining the Buccaneers, playoffs included. That ties Vinny Testaverde for the most 300-yard passing games in franchise history. He is the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 375 passing yards and fewer than five incompletions in a single game.
Mayfield barely outdueled Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Sunday's game marked the first time in NFL history that both quarterbacks in a game passed for 325-plus yards and completed over 80% of their passes.
Mayfield threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Egbuka and 11 yards to wide receiver Sterling Shepard, giving him 10 scoring tosses on the season. Since his arrival in Tampa, Mayfield is tied for the most touchdown passes in the NFL.
Most Touchdown Passes, NFL, 2023-25
1t. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: 79
1t. Jared Goff, Lions: 79
3. Lamar Jackson, Ravens: 75
4. Josh Allen, Bills: 66
5. Jordan Love, Packers: 65
All of the production from Mayfield and Egbuka, and more, was necessary to finish off the team's third road victory in three tries in 2025 and improve it's record to 4-1. This is the sixth time the Buccaneers have started a season with a record of 4-1 or better through it's first five games, joining the 1979, 1997, 2002, 2005 and 2021 squads. All five of those previous teams made the playoffs. All but the 1997 team won a division title. The Buccaneers are currently tied with the Bills, Colts, Eagles, Lions and 49ers for the best record in the NFL. Tampa Bay has now owned at least a share of first place in the NFC South for 63 of the last 77 regular season weeks and is seeking a record fifth straight title in that division.
The Buccaneers got to 4-1 in dramatic fashion, as each of their four victories have been secured by a score in the final minute of regulation. Tampa Bay is the first team in NFL history with four wins by three or fewer points in the first five weeks of a season.
David's interception came with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter and set the Buccaneers up at the Seattle 35-yard line. After three runs by Rachaad White picked up a first down, McLaughlin came on to make his third field goal of the game. McLaughlin now has two game-winning field goals at the end of regulation this season – also a 36-yarder to beat the Jets in Week Three – and has made 11 of 12 three-pointers over the last three games, with his only miss being a block. Through Sunday's game, McLaughlin was second in the NFL with 47 points scored.
Most Points Scored, NFL, 2025
1. K Spencer Schrader, Colts: 53
2. K Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers: 47
3t. K Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys: 45
3t. K Matt Prater, Bills: 45
4t. K Jason Myers, Seahawks: 44
4t. RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts: 44
David's interception was his first of the season and the 14th of his illustrious career. He is one of just four players in league history to combine 10-plus interceptions with 40-plus career sacks and 30-plus fumble recoveries. David leads all active NFL players in interceptions, with 14, one more than Washington's Bobby Wagner, who has 13. One of David's team-leading nine tackles on Sunday went for a loss, giving him 173 TFLs in his career. Among active NFL players, only Arizona's Calais Campbell has more tackles for loss, with 191.
