The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been trailing with less than a minute to play in each of their first three games of the 2025 season, yet they remain undefeated after yet another Baker Mayfield-led two-minute drill produced a 29-27 win over the New York Jets Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers had already produced their fifth straight 2-0 start to a season but now are 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
"It's hard to win in this league, period," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "Us shooting ourselves doesn't help it much, but the resiliency they had to come back and win those games [is big]. We're stacking them early this year. We've been 2-0 the past three or four years but we haven't won the third game, so that's a plus, winning the third game."
With the Falcons falling 30-0 to the Carolina Panthers on the road Sunday, the Buccaneers will finish Week Three with a two-game edge in the NFC South standings. The Falcons, who also lost at home to Tampa Bay in Week One, are 1-2, as are the Panthers. The New Orleans Saints came into the weekend with an 0-2 record and were set to face the Seattle Seahawks on the road on Sunday. The Buccaneers are seeking their fifth straight NFC South title, which would be a record for the division, which was created during realignment in 2002.
In this case, the Buccaneers appeared to have the game well in hand when they took a 23-6 win into the fourth quarter against the winless Jets. However, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor led a pair of long touchdown drives to make it a one-score game with almost four minutes left to play. The Buccaneers got into position to kick a 43-yard field goal that would have given them a nine-point lead, but Chase McLaughlin's 43-yard attempt was blocked by Will McDonald, who then chased down the bouncing ball and returned it 50 yards for the go-ahead score.
Before the field goal attempt that was blocked with less than two minutes to play, the Buccaneers lined up as if they were going for it on fourth-and-one at the Jets' 40. A first down would have allowed the home team to kill the remainder of the clock, while a field goal would have essentially put the game away as well. The Bucs didn't snap the ball, instead trying to induce an offsides penalty. Despite the stunning results of the ensuing attempt, Bowles said he thinks the Bucs made the right call.
"It was the right thing to do when we had the fourth-and-one," said Bowles, whose description of his thoughts as McDonald was scoring included multiple expletives. "That would have put us up by nine; that would have made it hard for them to win the ballgame. I wasn't looking for the block and it happened. That can't happen. Thankfully, we came back and won the game."
That necessitated more Mayfield heroics, as he drove the home team 48 yards on seven plays to set up McLaughlin's 36-yard game-winner. The drive included catches of 28 yards by sensational rookie WR Emeka Egbuka and 20 yards by intrepid veteran Sterling Shepard, the latter of which got the ball down to the Jets' 18. From there, the Bucs simply ran the last minute off the clock and sent out McLaughlin to win the game. He did with his fifth field goal of the contest, including two from beyond 50 yards.
Mayfield completed 19 of 29 passes for 233 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 101.7 passer rating. His five-yard scoring pass to WR Mike Evans in the second quarter gave the Bucs a 10-6 lead, but the offense had to mount the game-winning drive without their top receiver, who had left the game with a hamstring injury with six minutes left. Egbuka and Shepard picked up the slack, the former leading the team with 85 yards on six catches and the latter adding 80 yards on four grabs.
Mayfield was sacked just once behind a makeshift offensive line that included two players – guards Elijah Klein and Luke Haggard – making their first NFL starts. In addition, veteran Charlie Heck made his first start as a Buccaneer at right tackle in place of the injured Luke Goedeke and second-year C Graham Barton continued to fill in at left tackle while the team awaits the return of All-Pro Tristan Wirfs. Mayfield was sacked just once but frequently had to escape pressure, eventually running four times for 44 yards, including a 33-yarder into scoring territory late in the fourth quarter.
"Obviously, we had a little mix-up on the offensive line, and those guys played great," said Mayfield. "'Carbs' (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry) and [Offensive Line Coach Brian] Picucci got those guys ready and then they executed, especially in critical moments. They were blitzing, having to check to some plays, different protections – you can't say enough about those guys keeping their calm and executing in the heat of the moment there."
The new-look O-Line played well enough to win, but it wasn't a completely clean outing. The Buccaneers were penalized 14 times for 124 yards, and were frequently called for holding on offense. In fact, Tampa Bay overcame four holding penalties in the span of seven snaps to get three points on its first drive of the game. After each team had run one possession, both ending in fields, the game officially had 15 plays from scrimmage and eight penalties. The Buccaneers also averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, though they did finish with 122 yards on the ground, led by Bucky Irving's 66 yards on 25 carries. Irving added 33 more yards on four receptions.
"They fought, but we had 14 penalties," said Bowles. "It felt like it was a holding penalty on about 12 of them. That's what it felt like; I'm sure it wasn't but at the same time we've got to be better in that area."
After a slow start for both sides, the Bucs turned the tide in the first half with their first two defensive takeaways of the season. That included Jamel Dean's 55-yard pick six down the right sideline, the Bucs' first defensive score of the season and their first since Antoine Winfield Jr.'s 58-yard scoop-and-score of a fumble at New Orleans on October 13, 2024. It was also the Buccaneers' first pick-six since Shaquil Barrett had one against Chicago on September 17, 2023 and the first by a Tampa Bay defensive back since Mike Edwards recorded one against the Saints on September 18, 2022.
"It was huge," said Bowles of Dean's score. "It was right before the half and it really gave us a boost getting the ball back in the second half as well. He caught it with his hands. He had a good game; he's been playing good the past couple weeks and it showed."
Winfield also had a strip-sack that led to a second-quarter field goal and finished the game with three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble. LB Lavonte David also had a sack and two QB hits while leading the team with 11 stops. Both rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish and third-year edge rusher Yaya Diaby also turned in sacks of Taylor, who also frequently escaped pressure and was able to scramble eight times for 38 yards. He threw 36 passes, completing 26 of them for 197 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Jets were held to 267 yards of total offense, more than half of that coming on their two fourth-quarter touchdown drives.
"I thought the defense played lights-out for us," said Mayfield. "We've just got to capitalize in the red zone and score touchdowns more. The skill group, we as a whole, I missed some throws, we didn't complete and connect on some of them. We've got to be better at that. We've just got to be able to get six instead of field goals to put ourselves in a better position."
The Buccaneers took a 20-6 lead into halftime thanks to those aforementioned takeaways. Winfield's strip sack in the second quarter set up McLaughlin's second field goal and Dean snagged his pick-six just before the intermission. Despite coming 10 penalties for 89 yards, the Buccaneers had a 135-90 edge in total yards, while the defense held the Jets to 2.8 yards per play. Both teams struggled to sustain drives, with the Jets converting one of seven third down attempts to one of six for the home team.
The Jets got the ball first and started at their own 28. Taylor just escaped a Lavonte David pressure on the first play and was able to scramble for three yards, with a short out to Arian Smith producing a first down at the 42. Hall's first carry was met by a gang of tacklers for no gain, but a horse-collar tackle penalty on DL Logan Hall gifted the Jets with 15 yards into Bucs territory. A Taylor scramble and a run by Allen made it third-and-five but Taylor go a pass off over the middle to Wilson while absorbing a big hit to keep the drive alive. Two snaps later, the Bucs were flagged again, this time for pass interference, making it first down at the Tampa Bay 36. David once again just missed a sack on a well-timed blitz, allowing Taylor to get off a nine-yard pass to Hall. The Jets were then flagged for the first time for an illegal formation and it was third-and-four after another short Hall run. Taylor took a shot to Wilson in the end zone but it was well-covered and incomplete. The Jets settled for Nick Folk's 38-yard field to open the scoring.
Tucker got the ensuing kickoff out to the Bucs' 32 for their first possession. Irving hesitated and found a gap on the right side to squeeze for four yards, and personal foul facemask against the Jets on the next play took the ball just across midfield. Irving bounced around left end for a big gain on the next play but a holding call on the edge against WR Ryan Miller made it first-and-20 back in Bucs territory. Irving flipped the field again, taking a swing pass out to the right and cutting all the way across the field for a 25-yard gain. Two plays later, an attempted tunnel screen to Egbuka didn't work at all, leaving the Bucs in a third-and-nine hole. The Jets accepted a holding call despite a third-down incompletion to push the Bucs out of field goal range and make it third-and-19. A good catch-and-run by RB Rachaad White also drew a holding call and it was third-and-29. All of that was erased when Evans went deep down the right sideline and drew a pass-interference call on Sauce Gardner to make it first down at the Jets' 25. A run and a catch by Irving took it to the 19, but a scrambling first-down pass by Mayfield came back on yet another holding call. Mayfield converted it again on a long pass to Evans but it too was erased by a holding call. After a short White run, Chase McLaughlin came on to drill a 54-yard field goal to tie the score.
Taylor once again got hit hard on the first play of the next drive but still got off a 17-yard pass to Wilson, and Hall got the same number of yards on his next carry to get the Jets down to the Bucs' 29. The Jets were on the receiving end of the next flag, facing a second-and-19 after a holding call. After a short pass over the middle to Wilson it was still third-and-14 as the first quarter came to an end. A short pass to TE Mason Taylor led to another field goal attempt and the Jets restored their three-point lead on Folk's 42-yard shot.
A bouncing kickoff worked to the Jets' advantage as Sean Tucker was tackled at the 23. A rollout throw in Evans' direction didn't connect, but Egbuka's incredible one-handed sideline catch gave the Bucs 30 yards. He caught an eight-yard pass on the next play but Irving's attempt to reverse field on a short run backfired into a six-yard loss back to the New York 45. Mayfield moved the sticks by scrambling away from pressure and firing a 15-yard pass over the middle to WR Sterling Shepard. Shepard got the ball again on the next play on a receiver screen out to the left and weaved through tacklers to get all the way down to the five-yard line. The Bucs hurried to the line, got off a quick snap and scored on Mayfield's slant pass to Evans.
Rookie CB Benjamin Morrison sniffed out a tunnel screen to Smith and got to him in the backfield for a loss of four. A Taylor scramble up the middle got those four back and the Bucs brought a huge blitz on third down. Taylor took a hard hit but also got the ball to Wilson on the sideline for a gain of nine. The Jets went for it on fourth-and-one and Reddick knifed through the line and hit Braelon Allen in the backfield for a loss of one.
That gave the ball back to Mayfield and company at the Jets' 43-yard line. White got the call in the backfield to start the next drive and Immediately ripped off a seven-yard run over left tackle. He was stopped for no gain on the next play. White got the first down and much more on another run but it came back on another holding penalty. Baker was hit on the arm by DL Quinnen Williams as he tried to get off a third-down pass and the Bucs had to punt for the first time. Riley Dixon's high kick was fair caught at the Jets' 18.
The Bucs gave the Jets a free five yards on an offside call but got it back when S Antoine Winfield Jr. got to Taylor on an outlet pass for a loss of five. Two plays later, on third-and-four, rookie DL Elijah Roberts got into the backfield and deflected Taylor's third-down pass, leading to a punt.
Tampa Bay got the ball back at its own 30 with just under six minutes left in the half. The Buccaneers' 10th penalty of the day was a false start, and Evans uncharacteristically had a pass go off his hands on first-and-15. Evans caught the next one for six yards on the right border but Mayfield was sacked on third down. He lost the ball, as well, but Graham Barton fell on it at the Bucs' 17. Dixon's second punt was fair caught at the Jets' 38 with 4:11 left before halftime.
Another great run stop by Reddick kept Hall from getting any yards on first down, and Hall's next run was only three yards better. On third down, Winfield blitzed around to the back of Taylor and sacked him, forcing a fumble that Vita Vea fell on at the Jets' 33.
Mayfield avoided several near sacks on first down and got two yards on a scramble but got 15 more on a facemask penalty, taking it to the 16. Irving couldn't find the corner on a sweep left an lost two yards as the two-minute warning arrived. A swing pass to Irving after the break only got one back and a screen to White left the Bucs in a fourth-and-nine. McLaughlin returned to push the Bucs lead to seven points on a 33-yard field goal.
The Jets had used two of their timeouts after the two-minute warning and thus had 1:43 to work with as they started fresh at their 35 following a touchback. A blitzing SirVocea Dennis knocked away Taylor's next pass and a big blitz forced him into a second-down incompletion. On third down, Parrish fired out of the slot and swarmed over Taylor for a 10-yard sack. The resulting punt pushed the ball back to the Bucs' 23 and Irving broke two tackles on a second-down catch to get out of bounds at the 31. The Bucs tried to convert the third-and-two with a run but Irving was stopped for no gain and the Jets used their last timeout at the 52nd mark as the Bucs got ready to punt. That kick bounced to a stop at the Jets 34.
Taylor got 11 yards on a scramble then spiked the ball to stop the clock. His next pass was intended for Wilson on the left sideline but Dean jumped in front of the receiver, caught the ball and dashed untouched to the end zone for a 55-yard score.
The Bucs got the ball first to start the second half but were stopped at the 23 on the kickoff. Irving got the drive going with a 16-yard run to the left side, then got a total of seven more on his next two carries. Mayfield stood in a collapsing pocket on third down long enough to find Egbuka over the middle for an 11-yard gain to the Jets' 43. A holding penalty pushed the ball back into Bucs territory before Irving got seven back on a catch and four more on a run. On third-and-nine, Mayfield juked out two Jets defenders and raced to the sideline for a gain of 10 yards and a first down at the 32. Two plays later, Evans fought off Sauce Gardner to highpoint a 14-yard catch down to the 21. The Bucs then faced a third-and-nine. Egbuka ran a quick button hook out of the right slot and Mayfield hit him just past the line to gain. Two Irving runs lost a yard, making it third-and-goal at the 10 and Mayfield threw incomplete after scrambling left. McLaughlin increased the Bucs' lead to 17 points with a 28-yard field goal.
The Jets incurred a penalty on the next kickoff and started their drive at their own 29. Hall got just one yard on first down but Wilson turned up the right sideline for five yards on the next play. For the fourth time in the game, Taylor managed to complete a pass despite being hit hard as he threw, this time converting the third down with a seven-yard pass to Wilson. Moments later, Taylor converted another third down by scrambling for six yards on third-and-two. A sweep right by Hall got one to the Bucs' 44, but he lost three. The Jets picked up a blitz well and Taylor found Tyler Johnson downfield but the receiver couldn't hold on. New York elected to go for it on fourth-and-12 and a short pass to WR Allen Lazard was caught but stopped three yards short by Tykee Smith and Jacob Parrish.
That gave possession back to Tampa Bay at its own 39 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. White got the call in the backfield again and made two good cuts to gain six yards on first down. That brought the third quarter to an end and White's carry to start the fourth period wasn't as successful, losing five. Egbuka couldn't hold on to a pass over the middle and the Bucs had to punt it back. Dixon's 60-yard punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback.
Taylor was quickly pressured on his first-down dropback but was able to get out to the left and rumble for six yards. Taylor caught a pass at the sticks for a new set of downs and two more completions created another first down just shy of midfield. Allen came out of the backfield to catch a 12-yard pass to the Bucs' 40, then barreled up the middle on the next snap for nine more. One more Allen run made it first down at the Bucs' 23. A rollout pass to the right to Johnson was good for 11 more but Taylor's next pas was incomplete. On second-down, Taylor hit Wilson cutting right to left and he ran it in to make it a 10-point game with 10:12 left in regulation.
Starting at the Bucs' 27, Mayfield faked a handoff on first down, rolled left and hit Shepard on a crosser for a gain of 20. Irving started left on his next carry then cut back to the right and found a seam for a gain of 11. Two plays later, a quick slant on the left side to Evans was complete and enough for a first down at the Jets' 31. A loss of one by Irving and a false start backed the Bucs up. Evans pulled up short on his next route and limped to the sideline as the Bucs faced a third-and-16. A deep flag route to Ryan Miller was just out of reach so the Bucs sent out McLaughlin to attempt a 55-yard field goal. McLaughlin drilled it despite having a defender run into him, and the Bucs had a 13-point lead with 6:13 to play.
Allen got the ensuing kickoff out to the Jets' 27. Taylor continued to throw underneath against a defense interested in running the clock, starting the drive with a 10-yard pass over the middle to Mason Taylor. Diaby then ran Taylor down for a seven-yard sack, but an apparent second interception for Dean was erased on a penalty against the cornerback. That led to a first down at the Jets' 45, though it was backed up to the 40 by a false start. David got to Taylor for a four-yard sack but Taylor completed passes of 20 yards to Johnson and 12 to Hall to take it to the Bucs' 32. Two snaps later, Taylor escaped to the left and scrambled all the way to the nine. Three plays later, it was third-and-goal at the four. Smith got a hand in front of pass intended for Lazard to make it fourth-and-goal, but Taylor was able to scramble forward and hit Lazard with a dart in the back of the end zone to make it a 26-20 game with 3:40 left.
The Jets' ensuing kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, putting the ball at the Bucs' 35. Irving ran off left tackle for three yards and the Jets used the first of their three timeouts. On a brilliant call, Mayfield faked a handoff, rolled right and then took off on a long scramble, tightroping down the sideline for a gain of 33 yards to the Jets' 29. After a second timeout, Irving gained two yards on first down and one more on third down; after the latter run, the Jets used their last timeout as the Bucs faced a third-and-seven at the 2:28 mark. A four yard run made it fourth-and-one and brought on the two-minute warning. The Bucs sent the offense out on fourth-and-one after the break but only to try to induce an offsides penalty. Instead, the clock ran out, leading to a delay of game penalty. McLaughlin was sent out to try a 43-yard field goal but it was blocked by Will McDonald, who also recovered the bouncing ball and ran it 50 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:49 left.
Now down one, the Bucs started at their own 34. Tez Johnson got wide open deep on first down but Mayfield's pass was well out of his reach. Mayfield then hit Egbuka on a crossing route for 28 yards to the Jets' 38. Egbuka appeared to make another amazing sideline catch on the next play but it was ruled incomplete and not reviewed. Mayfield then threw a receiver screen to Shepard who broke free from several tackles to get the ball down to the 18 as the clock ticked below one minute. An Irving run went nowhere but kept the clock running. The Bucs let the clock run down to three seconds then knelt to stop the clock, sending out the field goal team again. This time the operation was clean and McLaughlin won the game with a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
