Baker Mayfield and the Bucs get payback for one of the worst losses of the Todd Bowles era with their own crucial last second score
The Bucs flipped the script on Monday night.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this time, were on the right end of a touchdown inside NRG Stadium with the game clock sitting at 6 seconds in the fourth quarter.
Baker Mayfield led the Bucs on an 11-play, 80-yard drive in 2 minutes and 4 seconds to claim a huge 20-19 road win over the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.
It was a fitting finish after the way the Bucs’ last trip to Houston ended in 2023. After taking the lead on a Cade Otton touchdown with 46 seconds left, the Bucs allowed CJ Stroud to lead a last-minute drive that covered 6 plays and 75 yards in 40 seconds to beat the Bucs 39-37 on November 5, 2023. Stroud, a rookie at the time, was stellar, finishing 30/42 passing for 470 yards and 5 touchdowns.
After allowing a gut punch touchdown two season prior, the Bucs delivered one in a very similar way to the Texans on Monday night
This time around, Tampa Bay clung to a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter, a lead they had established early in the second quarter on Emeka Egbuka’s third career NFL touchdown grab, this one covering 15 yards on a screen pass. Thereafter, the teams exchanged punts until Chase McLaughlin missed a 38-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
However, things began to fall apart in the fourth quarter. A blocked punt by Houston in Tampa Bay territory set them up for a field goal to draw to within 14-13. And just four plays later, the Bucs punted, and disaster struck again. Riley Dixon’s kick was returned for 53 yards by Jaylin Noel, and Houston was far into plus territory. They cashed in on a 25-yard Nick Chubb touchdown run two plays later with just over 2 minutes left in the game.
But this time, it was Mayfield who pushed the Bucs down the field in the final minutes. The big play came on 4th and 10 after he and Egbuka just missed connecting for a big gain. From the Tampa Bay 32, Mayfield saw the pocket collapse all around him, but he squeezed through and took off to wide open green grass for a first down. A chunk play to Bucky Irving for 22 yards came 2 plays later, and Tampa Bay was in business. Completions to Mike Evans and Cade Otton got the Bucs down to the 2-yard line with 9 seconds left.
With two timeouts, Todd Bowles elected to put it on his big offense line and Rachaad White. He took the handoff and pushed forward and across the goal line at 6 seconds left on the game clock for the winning points.
It was a second straight road win for the Bucs to start what appears to be a promising 2025 season. And now, the memory of a 2023 meltdown can settle a little bit further back in the rearview mirror after this one.
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