The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2014 with a 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, and the immediate future is cloudy after QB Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand in the game's waning moments.

Neither team found any sustained rhythm on offense in a game that featured 17 punts and 20 first downs. The Buccaneers finished with 243 net yards to 230 for the Vikings, but Minnesota benefited from an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown by Myles Price in the first quarter and the Buccaneers repeatedly saw their best offensive plays – including what would have been an 85-yard touchdown by Chris Godwin – erased by penalties.

"It was a little bit of everything," said head Coach Todd Bowles of the offensive struggles. "I've said it again and again. We've got to see what the penalty situation looks like. We've got to see whether it was play-calling, quarterback, offensive line…it's everybody included in that. We've got to do better on third down."

Despite the loss, the Buccaneers remain just a game out of first place in the NFC South, as losses by New Orleans and Carolina dropped both those teams to 1-2, along with the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Buccaneers now must move forward with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels as their quarterback for whatever amount of time Mayfield is sidelined by his thumb injury. How long that will be will not be evident until after he undergoes an MRI examination on Monday.

"He got a dislocated thumb," said Bowles. "He's going to get an MRI tomorrow just to see exactly what inside is wrong with it. So we'll know more tomorrow. The X-rays didn't show [a fracture] but the MRI tomorrow will show more.

"It's Jalon right now. We haven't really gotten into it yet. We'll see what the MRI says tomorrow and then we'll kind of talk amongst ourselves and see. But right now Jalon probably would go in."

After Price's return touchdown staked the visiting team to a 10-0 lead, the Bucs forged a tie on Mayfield's 40-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst and Chase McLaughlin's 28-yard field goal. Minnesota scored on Kyler Murray's 41-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison to take a lead at halftime, but two more McLaughlin field goals made it a one-point game early in the fourth quarter. The first of those two field goals came after DL A'Shawn Robinson intercepted a pass that was deflected by NT Vita Vea at the Carolina 22. The Bucs' inability to punch it in from there continued the early-season trend of red zone disappointments.

"We're moving the ball," said tackle Tristan Wirfs. "We're just going backwards too much in our drives. Got to keep going forward and get into the end zone. Got to capitalize off all the opportunities. A'Shawn's interception in the red zone…got to score. We're all celebrating here if we get a touchdown off that. We know the fans are frustrated, but I'm telling you right now we're all pretty frustrated in here too. This isn't how anybody planned to start the season. We need to turn it around."

The Buccaneers also settled for McLaughlin's 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter after driving into Vikings' territory. Bowles chose not to go for it on fourth-and-seven from the 36, knowing that the Bucs still had nine minutes left with which to operate and had forced a punt or a turnover each of Minnesota's previous five drives. Minnesota responded with a 56-yard Will Reichard field goal, then tacked on a final Reichard field goal make it a seven-point game with 33 seconds to play. Daniels then made his NFL debut and had a nine-yard run plus two incompletions before his last pass was intercepted on a desperation Hail Mary attempt.

Mayfield finished with 17 completions in 34 attempts for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception but was under constant duress, absorbing six sacks and 12 QB hits. Murray returning from missing most of the Vikings' first two games due to a concussion, was held to 15 completions in 29 attempts for 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Buccaneers ran for 57 yards; the Vikings for 78. Emeka Egbuka led Tampa Bay's passing attack with five catches for 62 yards, while Jordan Addison hauled in five passes for 90 yards and a score for the Vikings. Minnesota's leading receiver, Justin Jefferson, left with an ankle injury in the first half after catching just two passes for 32 yards.

Alex Anzalone, David Walker and Anthony Nelson all registered sacks for Tampa Bay's defense and Robinson secured the second interception of his career. Nose tackle Vita Vea broke up two passes and had a quarterback hit plus four tackles. Zyon McCollum had two passes defensed, helping hold the Vikings' offense to two conversions in 15 third-down attempts. Unfortunately, the Bucs struggled even more on third down, converting two of 17 tries.

The Buccaneers will play a third consecutive home game in Week Four with the 1-2 Green Bay Packers coming to town. While 0-3 starts are usually not conducive to playoff runs, the Bucs do have a chance to get back into the NFC South race.

"The funny thing is, we're 0-3 and we're a game out of first place," said Bowles. "We have to get our stuff together. We've got to reach down and do more, to a coach, to a person, to a player. We've got to do more, figure out what we can do more, how we can be better, and come back tomorrow and be ready to go."

The Vikings won the toss and took the ball first. Murray faked a handoff on first down and had a long time to survey the field before delivering a 22-yard strike to Jefferson over the middle. Jones' first handoff worked as well, as he powered over left guard for eight yards, and his second tote was good for another nine to the Buccaneers' 37. Two plays later, DL Elijah Simmons broke into the backfield and wrapped up Jones for a loss of one to make it third-and-nine. Murray was chased out of bounds for a gain of just one on third down but the Bucs elected to take the penalty and the 10 yards. It ended up as a wash as a screen to Jefferson got those 10 yards back and the Vikings settled for Will Reichard's 54-yard field goal for the game's first points.

RB Kenny Gainwell gave the Bucs good field position for their first drive, weaving through tacklers to return the kickoff out to the 40-yard line. Irving didn't have much of a seam on his first-down carry but he was able to push the pile for a gain of four, followed by a one-yard run. On third-and-five, Mayfield tried to throw a hard pass to WR Jalen McMillan, but it was broken up by safety Josh Metellus. McMillan also suffered a knee injury on the play and had to be seen by the trainers before walking off the field.

Things quickly went from bad to worse when WR Myles Price shot through the Bucs' punt coverage team, worked his way to the left sideline and raced untouched for an 86-yard touchdown. A penalty on Minnesota on the celebration meant Reichard had to kick his extra point attempt from 48 yards out, but he made it to push the Minnesota lead to 10-0.

Starting at the Tampa Bay 21, Mayfield made a miraculous escape from a near sack and got off a pass to Irving but the back bobbled the ball and couldn't hold on. Mayfield threw quickly down the right hashes to TE Cade Otton on the next play and that one worked for 14 yards. After an eight-yard Irving run to the left, he got the ball again, avoided a tackler and got past the line to gain, also drawing a personal foul facemask penalty that tacked on 15 yards to the Vikings' 40. On the very next snap, Hurst got behind the defense on a post route and Mayfield hit him in stride for the 40-yard score.

Minnesota's next drive started at its 31 and blanket coverage on first down forced Murray to scramble for a gain of five but the Vikings were flagged for holding on the next play. A short pass to TE T.J. Hockenson put Minnesota into a third-and-long but Murray was able to scramble just past the sticks for a new set of downs. Two runs by Demond Claiborn amounted to just two yards as OLB David Walker hit him for a loss of one on second down. Murray tried to hit WR Tai Felton on a deep out but CB Zyon McCollum had tight coverage and the pass was incomplete. WR Tez Johnson field a high, hanging punt near the left sideline but was able to dash for a 16-yard return to the Bucs' 25.

After a four-yard run by Irving, Mayfield had Hurst open over the middle but the ball was deflected at the line and likely would have been intercepted but two Vikings defenders ran into each other trying to haul in the high pop. Mayfield hit WR Emeka Egbuka on a third-and-six out but a strong tackle by CB Isaiah Rodgers kept him from getting to the first-down marker. The Bucs had to punt and it was fair caught at the Minnesota 19.

DL Elijah Roberts met Jones near the line on first down and held him to a gain of one. A perfect open-field tackle by CB Jacob Parrish on second down limited WR Jordan Addison to a four-yard gain, making it third-and-five as the first quarter came to an end. After the two teams switched sides, Murray was forced into another scramble but this time Anzalone dropped him in the backfield for a two-yard sack.The resulting punt was fair caught at the Bucs' 40. Mayfield was sacked on first down by OLB Kyle Van Noy, and the Bucs had to burn a timeout before their second-down snap. After an incompletion in Chris Godwin's direction, a tunnel screen to Godwin worked well but was stopped four yards short of the sticks. Riley Dixon's third punt was fair caught at the Minnesota 13.

Two Jones runs combined for a six-yard output, and on third down Walker got to Murray deep in the backfield and dropped him for a nine-yard sack. On third down, Murray was pressured quickly and eventually dropped by Walker for a nine-yard sack. The ensuing punt was shanked by Johnny Hekker but a good bounce took it all the way down to the Bucs' 42 with 10 minutes left in the half.

Irving got the ball again on first down and was able to bull his way for five yards up the middle, followed by another three-yard tote on second down. Mayfield faked a handoff to Sean Tucker and threw an exquisite seam pass just over a defender to a sprinting Otton, who got it all the way down to the Minnesota seven. Two straight holding  penalties then backed the Bucs up all the way to their 27, but on first-and-goal a quick hitter to Egbuka got 14 yards back. Two plays later, on third down from the 11, Mayfield tried to hit Irving on a wheel route but that difficult pass was out of the running back's reach in the end zone. Chase McLaughlin came on to tie the game with a 28-yard field goal.

Minnesota had five-and-a-half minutes left in the half to work with and got off to a quick start with Murray's 30-yard completion to WR Jordan Addison on the left sideline. The Buccaneers challenged the ruling but it was upheld, putting the ball at the Bucs' 43. Three plays later, the Viking faced a third-and-eight, and got the needed yards plus a lot more, as Parrish fell down and Addison made a twisting catch, landed at the one and rolled into the end zone.

A holding call against the Bucs on the kickoff return forced them to start back at their own 15, negating another good return by Gainwell. With four minutes at their disposal, the Bucs started with an Irving run and he cut back inside to get six yards, and two Mayfield scrambles picked up just enough to move the chains. After the two-minute warning passed, Mayfield tried to hit Otton on two straight plays but neither were complete, leading to third-and-10. On third down, Mayfield was chased backward by DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and eventually had to punt it back. Dixon's catch was fair caught at the Vikings' 20 with 1:39 left in the half.

A shoestring tackle by Parrish kept Jones from breaking off a big run on first down, as he got six to kick off the drive, followed by a pass deflection at the line by DL Vita Vea. Murray threw deep towards Addison again on third down and the receiver had a step on McCollum, but the corner caught up and got his hand on the ball just before it could be hauled in. The Vikings punted and Tez Johnson hauled it in at the Bucs' 23 with 56 seconds left. Yet another downfield pass in Otton's direction was just off the mark but a second down dig route by Egbuka got him open for a gain of 14. Mayfield, however, was sacked by Andrew Van Ginkel and Eric Wilson on the next play and the Bucs used their last timeout of the half at the 27-second mark. After an eight-yard catch by Tez Johnson, he went deep on the next play but the pass was out of his reach. The Bucs punted with six seconds left and Price was chased out of bounds as the half expired.

The Bucs got the ball to start the second half but didn't have it for long. Irving's first carry gained three but his second lost two and an attempted seam pass to Egbuka on third down was out of synch. Dixon punted away and Minnesota got it back at its own 20.

Minnesota's first play of the half was a pitch right to Jones and he found the corner for a gain of 14. The Bucs' defense stood strong after that first down, however, with Murray forced to threw short on third-and-eight to WR Jauan Jennings for a gain of just one. Tez Johnson fielded Hekker's punt with his heels on the goal line but was able to get it back out to the 14.

Mayfield improvised a sidearm flip to Otton as the pocket was collapsing on him, leading to a pickup to six. After an incompletion, Egbuka ran a quick square-in from the right but he and Mayfield couldn't quite make the connection and Dixon had to punt again, with Price returning it to the Vikings' 31.

Roberts made another nice play to start the next drive, knocking RB Demond Claiborne down for a loss of one. Two plays later, on third-and-11, Vea tipped a pass in the backfield and Robinson was able to catch it before it hit the ground. That gave the Bucs possession at Minnesota's 22 but the next three plays only gained two yards and McLaughlin came on to kick a 38-yard field goal to make it 17-13 midway through the third quarter.

Minnesota started fresh at its own 27, and Murray eventually dirted his first-down pass despite a very long time in the backfield without being harassed. After a delay-of-game penalty made it second-and-15, a late-developing screen pass to Hockenson was good for six yards, but LB SirVocea Dennis got through with a blitz on third down and chased Murray into a throwaway.

After the punt, the Bucs had the ball again at their own 34, but an Irving run gained just one and Mayfield was sacked on second down back at the 29. A dumpoff pass to Irving worked for a first down but was erased by a chop-block call, making it third-and-30 at the 15. On the next play, Mayfield made an incredible pass to Godwin that went for an 85-yard touchdown but that one too came back on a holding call. After a short run by Gainwell, the Bucs had to punt from their 14. Dixon's kick was downed at Minnesota's 39 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Two Jones runs amounted to just three yards and Murray threw incomplete on third down, leading to another Vikings punt. Irving ran for five yards and Godwin caught a three-yard pass to make it third-and-two as the third quarter came to an end. On third down, Mayfield impressively escaped pressure in the pocket but his scramble fell short of the sticks and the Bucs had to kick it back. Price was touched down at the Vikings' 25 on his return attempt.

Murray took a couple of relatively deep shots to start the next drive but neither was complete. On third-and-five, after an offside call on the Bucs, Murray threw in Jennings' direction on the left sideline but it too was incomplete. Tez Johnson fair caught Minnesota's punt at the Bucs' 35.

The Bucs got across midfield on one play, as Mayfield faked a handoff on first down and hit Egbuka up the right seam for 21 yards. Two plays later, Mayfield scrambled for a first down but the play came back on another holding call. After a 10-yard sack by LB Blake Cashman made it third-and-29, Mayfield hit Egbuka on a 10-yard pass and Metellus was called for unnecessary roughness, making it first down at Minnesota's 39. A miscue on the handoff to Gainwell on the next play led to a loss of six and Mayfield's next pass was incomplete. A short pass to Godwin put McLaughlin in position to try a 54-yard field goal and he nailed it to pull the Bucs within one with nine minutes left.

An unnecessary roughness flag on the ensuing kickoff return allowed Minnesota to start at its own 45. A deep out to Addison on the drive's second play made it first down at the Bucs' 44. Robinson was not fooled by a play-action fake and forced Murray into an emergency throwaway. Two plays later, on third-and-five, Anzalone stopped Jones a yard short but the Vikings went for it on fourth down and Jones was able to get past the sticks. On the next play, Nelson got through for a five-yard sack, and two plays later Roberts blocked a pass by Murray on third-and-13. However, the Bucs elected to accept a holding call instead, and then on the ensuing play the Vikings were flagged for an illegal block in the back and that moved it all the way back to the Bucs' 49-yard line. A short pass to Jones put it at the Bucs' 38 and Reichard came on to try a 56-yard field goal. He made it to restore the Vikings' four-point lead with 3:10 remaining.

After Gainwell got the ensuing kickoff back out to the Bucs' 29, Mayfield threw a short pass in the flat to Gainwell, who sprinted out of bounds for 13 yards. However, a pitch to Gainwell was blown up by Van Noy for a loss of four. Another pass to Gainwell was good for just one as the two-minute warning arrived. After another incompletion, it was fourth-and-13, and Mayfield was chased into a meandering scramble before finally getting off a pass that was intercepted by Van Ginkel at the 41. Mayfield's right hand was hit as he threw and subsequent examination revealed a dislocated thumb.

Tampa Bay's defense gave up one first down after the ball was turned over on downs but then held and forced a field goal attempt that Reichard hit from 43 yards out to make it a seven-point game. Daniels came in to direct the last-ditch drive effort and had a nine-yard scramble but on the final play was intercepted by Rodgers at the Vikings' three on a Hail Mary attempt.