The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off their 2025 preseason docket at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night against the Tennessee Titans and came out victorious, 29-7. With almost all starters sitting out of the clash, quarterback Kyle Trask took over for Baker Mayfield and the second-string signal-caller rallied the unit in the first half before Connor Bazelak assumed the role in the third quarter. A trio of interceptions by the Bucs' defense in the second half and a robust run game punctuated the win for Tampa Bay.
Offensive Overview
Kyle Trask completed 12 of 16 pass attempts for 129 yards and a 98.2 passer rating. He guided the Bucs down the field on the first drive with deep shots to Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka. The opening series culminated in a Chase McLaughlin 45-yard field goal and Sean Tucker provided the Bucs' lone touchdown in the first half on a two-yard run to conclude Tampa Bay's second possession. Tucker's 23-yard run around the right end on the aforementioned drive just plays earlier brought the Bucs to first-and-goal.
Overall, the Buccaneers accumulated 348 yards of offense and 20 first downs while converting seven of 16 third-down tries. Bazelak completed six of nine passes for 48 yards and receiver Ryan Miller stole the show with six catches for 66 yards. The Bucs took a run-first approach in the second half as Sean Tucker and Owen Wright combined for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Bucs ran 41 times for 178 yards, both representing the club's most in a preseason showdown since 2017.
Defensive Outlook
The Buccaneers recorded 10 passes defensed against the Titans, their most in a preseason game since 2018 at Miami. Tampa Bay limited the Titans to five yards of total offense in the first quarter – the fewest yards they have surrendered in the first quarter of a preseason game since 2019. The team's three interceptions on the night are tied for the most in a preseason battle since 2017. Third-round pick Jacob Parrish, undrafted rookie J.J. Roberts and linebacker John Bullock each nabbed a pair of passes defensed to invigorate the defense. For Tampa Bay, Nick Jackson, Roman Parodie and Tyrek Funderburk all posted interceptions, and in addition to Jackson, Warren Peeples also tallied a sack. To put the exclamation mark on the win in the final frame, Parodie intercepted Tim Boyle and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, providing the Bucs with a 29-7 cushion. That marked Tampa Bay's first pick-six in the preseason since Joseph Jones accomplished the feat in 2021.
Star of the Game
Linebacker Nick Jackson took over the game with an impressive stat line. He led the team with six tackles and posted a sack, two tackles for loss (team high) a quarterback hit, an interception and a pass defensed. He became the first Buccaneer player since 2017 to record a sack and an interception in the same preseason game. He rallied to the football and became a disruptive force on the field. His NFL debut drew praise from Head Coach Todd Bowles.
"A football player from the time he came in here," said Bowles. "He was somebody we wanted to see, we wanted to watch. We were playing close attention to him. He just knows how to play the game. He knows how to play the game, he's very instinctive, he can read things, he's physical when he needs to be physical and he knows how to cover. He did a very good job tonight."
