The first preseason game is in the books for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa finished the game with an L, but who really cares?

Preseason games are about tape and seeing what players can do against real competition. The Bucs got that and then some against the Steelers, and some of the best information to come out of that game had to do with the quarterback battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.

Well, it was a battle. Now it seems like Mayfield is very firmly in the driver's seat. It might be out of Trask's hands at this point.

For what it's worth, both quarterbacks played well the other night. What separates the two in the eyes of the staff is experience, comfort, and safety.

Baker wasn't on the field long, but he moved the chains, kept control of the offense on the ground and through the air, and threw a perfect pass into the end zone that will work against any team in the regular season.

Every bit of that just reinforces Baker's position, especially when you look at his having a history of a starter, trips to the playoffs, and some higher ceilings in areas due to his athleticism.

On the other end, Kyle Trask actually played well, even with his unfortunate interception. Still, Trask didn't play well enough to unseat Mayfield and sell the staff on the long shot of the younger quarterback versus the veteran, and that is the obvious current goal in a room that has been favoring Mayfield for a while now.

Trask is still going to get his chance over the coming weeks and should even start some games before the regular season begins, but it is going to take a lot to shift the depth chart back in his favor if Mayfield keeps playing the safe, consistent brand of football that Todd Bowles loves so much.

However, don't take this as a sign that Mayfield will be the only starter for the Bucs during the regular season or that his position is cemented. Tampa could absolutely get into a position where it decides to roll the dice with Trask to see what they have in the younger quarterback, it just seems unlikely to happen in the next month or so if the first game was the standard.

The next few games will reveal plenty, especially as we see both quarterbacks play with the other starters, but don't expect much to change as of yet.

Key takeaways from Buccaneers’ preseason loss to Steelers

Here’s the good and the bad.

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