The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are smiling ear to ear after a comeback 23-20 victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to kick off the 2025 season.
The Bucs looked like they were about to take a loss, but Baker Mayfield threw a 25-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka late in the fourth quarter to take a lead. Mayfield spoke after the game about the team’s offensive struggles and ability to overcome adversity.
“It felt like an eternity that they were down there trying to score,” Mayfield said postgame.
“But we were looking at the clock situation and we knew we were going to be above the two-minute warning with one timeout left, so we look at that like two timeouts. At least get a good play off on first down, get to the two-minute then gather yourself and go. We were looking to go down and score. It wasn’t about getting a field goal to tie it and go to overtime. We were looking to score.”
NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
While the Bucs struggled to move the football all afternoon, they stuck to the game plan, which ultimately got them on the winning side.
“Especially to start the season, it was a little bit bizarre both ways, between the extra points missed and the long red zone periods that occurred. It was just one of the bizarre wins,” Mayfield said.
“We played a crazy one like that here last year and came out on the losing end. We came out on the winning end of this one.”
With the win, the Bucs are starting the season off strong. They will look to continue their momentum in Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 15.
