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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Needing just one more completion on a third-and-10 at the two-minute warning to be home free, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield found wide receiver Chris Godwin on a diving grab on the right sideline for an 11-yard catch, stunning the Minnesota Vikings 20-17 in Mayfield’s debut with his fourth NFL club.
“You can always look back after a game, a close game like this, a few plays here and there that are really going to be the difference and that last to Chris — he caught that ball with just his fingertips,” Mayfield said. “An incredible catch by him, just sealing the deal.”
Godwin downplayed his role on the play. To him, it was a simple out route, and the Vikings’ secondary gave him the leverage he was looking for.
“Baker made a good throw,” Godwin said. “[Safety] Harrison Smith tried to undercut it a little bit working to the flat, and it was great placement. Then it’s just make the catch, make sure we get the first down and seal the game.”
Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, kicker Chase McLaughlin hit a 57-yard field goal and the Bucs’ defense forced three Kirk Cousins turnovers to secure a victory in their first game in the post-Tom Brady era.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Mayfield had lost nine straight road starts, the second-longest active streak of any quarterback in the NFL. The Vikings had also gone 11-0 last season in one-score games. And the Bucs were given just a 33% chance to win heading into the game as the third-largest underdog by ESPN Analytics.
“That was huge for us,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He played a gutsy, tough, mentally tough ball game, and to make that throw at the end to Chris right there without even flinching. He was hit a few times, but he stuck with it. Baker’s a winner. He’s done this before. And the guys really love to rally around him.”
The Bucs tabbed Mayfield, signed this offseason on a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million, to be their starter three weeks ago after a summer-long quarterback competition with 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask. Mayfield started the game just 3-for-11 for 12 yards, overthrowing a pass intended for tight end Ko Kieft on what should have been a touchdown and missing a connection with Mike Evans on a go route. There were challenges against new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz packages despite that being a point of emphasis throughout the week.
“Not the prettiest start by any means,” Mayfield said. “Every time we’d check, they would. And so that’s kind of the story of what you saw in the first half right there. Just one of those things that was kind of a chess match at that point.”
But things got things rolling with two minutes to go in the first half. Going no huddle, Mayfield completed a 14-yard pass to Chris Godwin on a post route — the Bucs’ first third-down conversion of the game — and a 9-yard pass to Evans on an out route that brought the Bucs to the Minnesota 30, followed by a 2-yard run by running back Rachaad White.
With 1:14 to go in the half, Evans caught a 28-yard touchdown on a post route to make it 10-10.
Then to open up the second half, Mayfield orchestrated a 16-play scoring drive that saw the offense come back on the field after Vikings cornerback Jay Ward jumped offsides on what would have been a 31-yard field goal attempt by Bucs kicker McLaughlin.
With new life inside the Vikings’ 10-yard line, Mayfield found Palmer on a crossing route for a 7-yard touchdown to make it 17-10. On that play, the Vikings gave a Cover 0 look for an all-out blitz but wound up dropping eight into coverage, which afforded Mayfield time to scramble.
“We talked about that earlier in the week,” Mayfield said. “[Quarterbacks coach] Thad Lewis had our red zone presentation and did a great job explaining, ‘They’re going to give you the same look, and it’s just two different outcomes, so stay alive.'”
The Vikings stayed alive in the fourth quarter when Cousins found Alexander Mattison for a 4-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17-17, but Mayfield connected with Godwin and Evans on 16- and 6-yard passes, setting up McLaughlin’s 57-yard kick with 5:15 to go. It was McLaughlin’s personal best and tied him for the fifth-longest kick in Buccaneers history.
“Couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Bowles said of McLaughlin, who signed with the Bucs this offseason in large part because of his ability from 50-plus yards. “That’s what we got him for. He was accurate, got it through the uprights. He made a hell of a kick.”
The Vikings outgained the Buccaneers in total yards, 369-242, but Minnesota’s three turnovers kept Tampa Bay in the game until Mayfield found his rhythm.
“We just told Baker, ‘Be Baker,'” inside linebacker and longtime captain Lavonte David said. “When he first came in, ‘Hey, man, just be yourself, have that swagger, when you come into the locker room, guys will embrace you, guys got your back no matter what, bro. On the defensive side, when we get the chance to be on the field, we want to give you the ball back as much as we can.’ And that’s what we did today.”
Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka recovered a botched quarterback-center exchange. Then safety Antoine Winfield Jr., whose father, Antoine Sr., spent nine seasons with the Vikings, had a sack-fumble and recovery, setting up a 36-yard field goal by McLaughlin. Next, rookie nickelback Christian Izien made a touchdown-saving interception at the Tampa Bay 2-yard line just before halftime.
“I can’t say enough about their defense and how they played,” Mayfield said. “That’s an incredible offense that we just played up against. A few turnovers. They did a really good job, especially with how many snaps they had to be on the field with us. … I just can’t say enough about our guys. Just playing the next play. Wasn’t our prettiest effort by any means, but we finished the right way.”
Source: www.espn.com