The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the New England Patriots 28-23 at Raymond James Stadium in Week 10. Baker Mayfield completed 28 of 43 attempts for 273 yards, and three touchdowns to zero interceptions. Emeka Egbuka led the team in receiving with 115 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, Tykee Smith intercepted Drake Maye in the end zone to prevent a touchdown in the second half.
The Buccaneers capped off their opening offensive possession with a Baker Mayfield touchdown to Emeka Egbuka to give the home team an early 7-0 lead. Egbuka became the catalyst on the six-play, 65-yard drive with a 24-yard gain over the middle of the field off a Mayfield play-action dart. On the drive, Mayfield completed all three of his attempts for 52 yards. Both clubs then traded back-to-back punts following incompletions on third down.
The defense then came up big on the Patriots second drive, as Antoine Winfield Jr. broke up a pass intended for Austin Hooper over the middle of the field and Elijah Roberts followed suit, taking down Drake Maye on a third-down scramble to force another Patriots' punt. To conclude the first frame, Kyle Williams took a pass from Drake Maye 72 yards to the end zone, bypassing the single defender for green grass to tie the game at seven.
Midway through the second frame, the Bucs marched down the field with a 12-yard gain by Tez Johnson on an out route, an 11-yard pickup by Cade Otton on a curl and a 31-yard gain by Emeka Egbuka, who exploited the soft spot in zone coverage. However, the Bucs were unable to cash in with seven and Chase McLaughlin drilled a 36-yard field goal to make it 10-7. To conclude the second frame, the Patriots capitalized off a 14-play, 78-yard drive with a Stefon Diggs one-yard touchdown. Maye threw a fade to Diggs in the back corner of the end zone to give New England a 14-10 lead at halftime.
Out of the half, TreVeyon Henderson carved through the middle of the Bucs' defense on a 55-yard touchdown run, giving the visiting team a 21-10 advantage. Early in the third, the Bucs' defense forced a quick three-and-out with a SirVocea Dennis pass breakup on third down against Hunter Henry. The Bucs found the end zone late in the third to punctuate an 11-play, 92-yard drive, including four plays of 11-plus yards, featuring a corner route by Egbuka for a gain of 11 and a quick decisive cut downhill for a gain of 12 by Sean Tucker. Mayfield found Tez Johnson in the back corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown but the two-point attempt to Egbuka failed, making it a 21-16 game.
Following a 54-yard gain by Mack Hollins that led the Patriots to the Tampa Bay eight-yard line, the Bucs' defense stepped up. Tykee Smith intercepted Maye in the end zone for a touchback. An ensuing turnover on downs for Tampa Bay and a 69-yard touchdown run by Henderson sealed the loss. The deficit was too much for a late-Tez Johnson touchdown to overcome.
TOP PERFORMERS 🏈
Buccaneers:
- Passing: QB Baker Mayfield: 28/43 for 273 yards - 3 TDs
- Rushing: RB Sean Tucker: 9 rushes for 53 yards
- Receiving: WR Emeka Egbuka: 6 catches for 115 yards - 1 TD
- Defense: S Tykee Smith: 8 total tackles, 1 INT
Patriots:
- Passing: QB Drake Maye: 16/31 for 270 yards - 2 TDs & 1 INT
- Rushing: RB Treyvon Henderson: 14 rushes for 147 yards - 2 TDs
- Receiving: WR Kyle Williams: 6 catches for 106 yards
- Defense: LB Robert Spillane: 9 total tackles
