With the game on the line, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t mind the Atlanta Falcons double-covering star wide receiver Mike Evans.
Mayfield simply burned the Falcons with rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka for the second time on Sunday in a 23-20 victory in Atlanta. Egbuka, the Buccaneers’ first-round pick from Ohio State, caught the go-ahead touchdown for 25 yards with 59 seconds left in the game.
“As you guys saw today, he’s the real deal,” Mayfield told reporters afterward.
Egbuka became the team’s second receiver during training camp as Chris Godwin remained sidelined due to injury. The former Buckeyes star delivered with four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL game.
“He’s everything we thought since he’s been here,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Sunday. “He played with so much poise, and Baker played with so much poise.”
Mayfield went 17-32 passing for 167 and three touchdowns versus no interceptions. He also ran for 39 yards on five carries, which included a 20-yard run.
Todd Bowles: ‘That is Great For Us’
GettyEmeka Egbuka shined in his debut.
While the Falcons keyed in on Evans, he gave the NFC South rival trouble again amid five catches for 51 yards, which included a 14-yard catch. Egbuka had the longest catch of 30 yards, and Sterling Shepard had a 19-yard catch amid his three receptions for 39 yards.
“If they are doing that early in the season, that is great for us,” Bowles said. “And it is just going to benefit us going forward.”
Tampa Bay didn’t have as much luck running the ball beyond Mayfield’s 39 yards. Running back Bucky Irving had 14 carries for 37 yards, and fellow back Rachaad White had just two carries for 14 yards.
For special teams, the Buccaneers got a boost with Kameron Johnson’s 54-yard punt return, but the kicking game suffered as Chase McLaughlin went 1-2 on field goals and 2-3 on extra points.
McLaughlin’s missed extra point after Egbuka’s second touchdown opened the door for Atlanta to force overtime with a field goal. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. drove his team downfield 60 yards on eight plays in 57 seconds, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed the potential game-tying field goal from 44 yards out.
Buccaneers Defense Rose to the Occasion Despite Michael Penix Jr.’s Success
Penix gave the Buccaneers trouble all afternoon as he went 27-42 for 298 yards and a touchdown. He also had 21 yards rushing on six carries, but most of that came on a 12-yard run.
Tampa Bay otherwise limited the Falcons‘ ground game as running backs Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson rushed for 24 yards apiece. Tykee Smith led the Buccaneers with 11 tackles, and Zyon McCollum and SirVocea Dennis each had 10 tackles, and Lavonte David had nine.
Antoine Winfield Jr. capped the defensive performance by breaking up the pass that forced the field goal. Winfield and company ultimately played with the lead on that final drive because the offense didn’t settle for a field goal, down 20-17.
“We didn’t go for the kill last year [at Atlanta],” Bowles said. “I thought we played it safe. We messed up some things. But we didn’t come down here to tie and go to overtime.”
Baker Mayfield Sends Message About Heroic Buccaneers Rookie Wideout