TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay’s 3-0 beginning to the 2025 NFL season would make anyone quiver if they sat down at a card table with coach Todd Bowles as one of the competitors.
The Bucs are proving that they are going to be one of those teams that know how to win in the clutch.
In Week One’s 23-20 win in Atlanta, Ohio State rookie Emeka Egbuka caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield with 59 seconds remaining before Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a game-tying field goal on the last play of the game.
Week Two saw the Bucs defeat Houston, 20-19, after running back Rachaad White scored from two yards out with six seconds remaining in the game.
Sunday provided Tampa Bay with potentially its most exhilarating finale after the Buccaneers led the New York Jets, 23-6, when kicker Chase McLaughlin made one of his five field goals with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Leading 26-20, McLaughlin set up to close out the Buccaneers’ win with a 43-yard field goal. New York’s Will McDonald shot over the left side and blocked the field goal attempt and returned it 50 yards for a 27-26 Jets’ lead with 1:49 to play.
“My thoughts while he was running for a touchdown?” said Bowles, “Excuse my language, but you’ve got to be [freaking] be [kidding] me. After that, you see how much time is on the clock, and you calm down and try to win the game.”
At this point, Bowles would likely be sitting at the card table, peering over his glasses and ready to post his winning hand. He allowed the clock to wind down to set up McLaughlin’s game-winner.
“We didn’t want to leave time on the clock for (the Jets) to come back,” explained Bowles. “It happens. You still have to trust in the guys that are out there, and we understood that and took the time out.”
Bowles’ hand turned up an incredible game-winner as Mayfield drove the Buccaneers 53 yards to the Jets’ 17-yard line, where McLaughlin hit the game-winning walk-off field goal.
The 5-of-6 field goal attempts allowed McLaughlin to join Martin Gramática as the only Buccaneers’ kickers to make five field goals in a single game. McLaughlin also did this in 2022.
“The confidence the team had in me was really reassuring,” said McLaughlin. “The whole thing was just giving glory to God throughout everything, no matter what happened in that game, giving it to Him and being able to pull through.”
Jamel Adds to the Dean’s List: Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean spun the game in Tampa Bay’s favor when he returned a Tyrod Taylor interception 55 yards for a touchdown and a 20-6 lead with 17 seconds remaining before halftime.
“It’s a two-minute situation and I saw Tyrod was on the far hash and once he looked over to (Jets Wide Receiver) Garrett Wilson, I was like ‘Yeah, let me be a little more patient,’ and once he threw it I was like ‘oh my God, he did it.’”
Dean displayed excellent timing as he stepped in front of Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and took the football 55 yards up the right sideline.
The former Auburn Tiger recorded the second pick-six of his career, as his first came against the Green Bay Packers in 2020.
“It felt great, man, especially when you go so many years without seeing the end zone,” laughed Fields. “It’s a different feeling knowing that instead of the receiver catching the touchdown, you’re scoring the touchdown. So, it’s like ‘Oh, so this is how you guys are feeling?’”
Taylor started after Jets starter Justin Fields suffered a concussion in last week’s loss to Buffalo.
Penalty Point: Tampa Bay’s offensive line was in transition Sunday as LT Tristan Wirfs missed the game with a knee injury. Right guard Cody Mauch is out for the season, and Luke Goedeke is on the injured list.
Three offensive linemen were added to the front, which required learning a new line position or becoming comfortable with being a starter. As a result, the Bucs had four holding penalties on their first offensive drive and finished with 14 for 124 yards.
“We had 14 penalties, and it felt like it was a holding penalty on about 12 of them,” said Bowles.
Clutch Playmaker: With Chris Godwin out and then Mike Evans leaving the game with an injury, rookie Emeka Egbuka led the Buccaneers with six catches for 85 yards.
He had a key 28-yard catch on the game-winning drive and was also featured in the eighth drive, where the Bucs took the 23-6 lead on McLaughlin’s 28-yard field goal.
“(It’s) having that confidence that we’ve done it before and having confidence in the guys because I see the work that they put in every single week,” said Egbuka. “We know what we have here. We have a special group and we’re going to continue to prove that.”