The Tampa Bay Buccaneers never make it easy, do they?
The Bucs faced off against the Seattle Seahawks on the road, and in a shootout that saw eight touchdowns scored, Tampa Bay came out on top. The Bucs won 38-35 on a last-second field goal once again, and in doing so, moved to 4-1 on the season and maintained their lead in the NFC South.
Here’s how the back-and-forth game went down:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks downfield against the Seattle Seahawks. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Buccaneers started off hot on offense, but in a recurring problem, they weren’t able to get a touchdown once into the red zone. They settled for a field goal, going up 3-0 to kick the game off. The Seahawks went to kick a field goal of their own, but they missed, holding the score at 3-0.
The first quarter ended with the Buccaneers driving, and they were approaching the red zone when the second quarter began.
Tampa Bay Buccaeers kicker Chase McLaughlin (4) follows through on a made field goal against the Seattle Seahawks. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The Bucs once again made it to the red zone but once again couldn’t convert, so they kicked again to make it 6-0. The Seahawks got to midfield but couldn’t go further, so they punted back to the Bucs, and Tampa Bay did the same after stalling out inside their own 10-yard line.
The Seahawks took the ball and looked to be driving, but a disastrous pitch play that sailed over Kenneth Walker’s head ended up in Tykee Smith’s hands and the Bucs got the ball back. The Bucs took advantage, marching down the field and scoring a TD on a seven-yard Rachaad White run to go up 13-0.
The Seahawks got the ball back with two minutes left in the half, and they got all the way down inside the 10 and scored a touchdown with seconds left to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That score narrowed the lead 13-7, and the Seahawks received the kickoff in the following half.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) reacts with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Seahawks erupted immediately to start the second half, scoring a touchdown in just four plays to take a 14-13 lead. The Bucs responded in a big way — Baker Mayfield found the hometown Emeka Egbuka for a 20-yard shot and then passed it to Egbuka again for the conversion, putting the Bucs up 21-14.
The Seahawks wasted no time on the response, hitting a 53-yard deep shot to Smith-Njigba to put them inside the 10 before Darnold found tight end AJ Barner for a touchdown, tying the game up 21-21. The Bucs retaliated with another touchdown via White after a 56-yard bomb from Mayfield to Egbuka, so Tampa Bay went up 27-21 as the third quarter ended.
The Seahawks continued the drive they started in the third quarter, and they scored a touchdown at the end of it — the seventh-straight of the game. The Bucs had the chance to continue the streak, but they didn’t and they punted at midfield back to the Seahawks.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, took advantage, and they drove 99 yards down the field before scoring another passing touchdown to go up 35-28. The Buccaneers got the ball back, and they scored another touchdown, hitting Sterling Shepard in the back of the end zone. The Bucs opted to tie the game instead of go for two, so it was 35-35 with a minute left.
The Seahawks had the ball, but Sam Darnold threw a crucial interception that Lavonte David came up with, putting the Buccaneers in plus territory.
The Buccaneers went to kick the game-winning field goal with three seconds left, and the 39-yard field goal was good. With that kick, the Buccaneers won 38-35 and knocked off the Seahawks on the road.
