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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jalon Daniels' Confidence on Full Display vs. Kansas City

After the Bucs were held scoreless in the first half, Jalon Daniels gave the team the spark it needed

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran off the field at halftime during their preseason matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs down 9-0. The Chiefs just nailed a 69-yard field goal on the final snap of the second quarter to make it a two-score game and the Bucs produced just 95 total yards of offense while going 0-for-five on third down conversions.

The game had a similar feel to the previous preseason matchup against the New York Jets, where the Buccaneers were able to string together a few good plays, but nothing culminated on the scoreboard. Last week, undrafted quarterback Jalon Daniels gave the team the spark they needed and Daniels rose to the occasion yet again on Saturday night.

The signal-caller entered on the second drive of the second half and led all three of Tampa Bay's scoring drives. The first was a seven-play, 49-yard possession that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to Ko Kieft in the third quarter. The other two came in the fourth quarter: A 10-play series that resulted in a 46-yard field goal and a 22-yard touchdown march set up by a Roman Parodie interception. Daniels finished with 71 passing yards, 19 rushing yards and a passing touchdown to his name.

"I just come in with confidence," said Daniels after the game. "I think I'm very confident with everything that I do within this game of football. I've been playing since I was seven years old, and when you think of it like that, when you go out there and play football, you're kind of just like, 'All right, bet.' I've been dreaming to be in this position since I was that young and every single opportunity that comes my way, whenever my number is called, I'm going to go out there and do it 100% confidently, do it out there with a smile and go out there and play 100% hard."

Daniels etched himself in Kansas' history books during his six seasons (2020-2025) at the University. He finished his collegiate career ranked second in Jayhawk history in passing yards (9,282), passing touchdowns (67) and completions (734) while tying the school record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (23). He also became one of only two players in program history to surpass 10,000 career yards of total offense. The quarterback walked into the Buccaneers' building with a wealth of experience at the college level and it is showing this preseason.

View the best photos of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2026 preseason Week 2 matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs

Daniels excels at playing out of structure. There have been a few times throughout the preseason where the quarterback had to conjure something out of nothing. Daniels credits his time in Lawrence for his ability to stay calm and make a play.

"One thing that I learned from the University of Kansas was something called rule of zero," Daniels explained. "Rule of zero just means you want to be able to get back to the line of scrimmage no matter what. You don't want to make a bad play worse. You've got to be the eraser. When there's something bad going on, you can't allow it to continue. So, when the ball hits the ground, at the end of the day, get back to the line of scrimmage."

Despite it being Daniels' first year in the league, Head Coach Todd Bowles recognizes the passer's advanced football IQ, particularly his poise in the pocket.

"For a rookie, he is a very smart player," Bowles expressed during his postgame press conference. "He pays attention in the meetings. He is great in the building. He wants to know everything, he processes everything well. That was an example of it. He executed it well and he played good ball."

For a player trying to prove himself worthy of an NFL roster spot, Daniels is certainly making a good impression and enjoyed the victory with family in attendance at Raymond James Stadium.

"My family, that's what I was looking at, at first," Daniels said. "They were right above the tunnel. They flew all the way out here from Los Angeles. I always love when my mom and my pops are able to come out here and watch me play football. Then, just being able to celebrate the win with all the Bucs fans that were at the tunnel as well was amazing."

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