TAMPA, Fla. – After losing offensive playmakers to injury, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had to deal with who is in or out of the lineup each week. Then, wide receivers Tez Johnson and Cam Johnson joined the lineup as the Buccaneers moved to 5-1 with a 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Wide receivers Michael Evans, Chris Godwin, Jr. and running back Bucky Irving were once again sidelined, while Evans and Godwin are potentially the top wide receiving tandem in the NFL.
Irving came into the game leading the Buccaneers’ rushing attack with 71 carries for 237 yards. On Sunday, teammate Rachaad White showed his toughness and consistency and carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay even lost rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, its leading receiver, to a hamstring injury in the second quarter as he was sidelined for the remainder of the game.
Johnson and Johnson helped bandage any effects that would have stymied the Bucs, who were now missing four skill people.
Kim Johnson couldn’t believe he was uncovered and open with the end zone was the only obstacle in his vision.
“‘I’’m this wide open?’ I was just in shock. I saw the safety press down on Cade [Otton], I thought he was going to bump off then. Low and behold, he never bumped off, and I was just running, and I was like, ‘Oh Lord, let me see if Baker just makes eye contact with me.’ It was just wide open. It was a walk-in, easy touchdown.”
After San Francisco kicker Eddy Piñero hit 42- and 29-yard field goals to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 20-19 midway through the third quarter, Oregon rookie Tez Johnson ran a 45-yard fly pattern out of the left slot.
Kameron Johnson went into motion to the right side of the field. When the ball was snapped, Mayfield hit him with a 34-yard touchdown pass as San Francisco never adjusted.
Mayfield had put the ball out in front of him, and Tez Johnson dove into the end zone and caught the football with an image that looked like it was from a diving platform. The Buccaneers took a 27-19 lead with 2:40 remaining in the third period.
“He’s got speed; he’s got speed,” said Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles. “He can get down, and he can get past you if you do not know who he is. He has got great hands; he made a heck of a catch diving into the end zone.”
Both receivers posted the first touchdown of their careers.
“It’s exactly how we drew it up. We knew what coverage they [were] going to be in, and when I looked back, and I [saw] Baker kind of slide up a little bit – I was like, ‘All right, here we go…’” said Tez Johnson.
Johnson saw the ball coming towards him, and the 49ers defense didn’t react quickly enough to his speed to be able to defend him.
“I’m [going to] catch this ball, because [there’s] no telling when the next one’s coming.’” he said. “So, when I caught it, it just stuck to my hand, to be honest with you. I watched it all the way in, and the rest is history.”
Mayfield once again led the Buccaneers with efficiency as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s a hardworking group that loves playing for each other and playing with each other, and no matter what the circumstances are, we’re going to go fight,” said Mayfield, who led the Bucs in stopping a four-game losing streak vs. San Francisco.