The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were home underdogs to a streaking Baltimore Ravens on Monday night and they came out looking like Super Bowl contenders, scoring the game's first 10 points and then taking their third possession into scoring territory. The whole game changed in an instant on one end-zone play and the Ravens' swarmed back for a 41-31 victory at Raymond James Stadium.
The play in question was a pass to WR Mike Evans that for a moment looked like it would be his second touchdown of the night to give the Bucs a 17-7 lead, after he had become the 11th player in NFL history to reach 100 career scoring catches on the game's opening drive. Instead, Evans couldn't quite hold on and he stayed down after the play and was eventually ruled out with a hamstring injury. From that point on, the Ravens scored 27 unanswered points.
"Yeah, wind kind of got taken out of our sails at that point," said QB Baker Mayfield. "Any time you're in the red zone, have a turnover, obviously can't do that. Marlon Humphrey made a good play falling off it, but I got to be careful with it down there knowing we already have points. Yeah, that really was the swing of the game and they the got ball and went down and scored. Yeah, that was a big momentum shift in the game.
To make matters worse, WR Chris Godwin sustained what Head Coach Todd Bowles indicated was a dislocated ankle with a minute left in the game as the Bucs desperately tried to rally back for the win.
"Doesn't look good," said Bowles. "We don't second guess. We got our guys, we're playing everybody we've got. It's unfortunate he got hurt and we feel bad about that, but he's a football player and he wants to be in the game just like Baker and everybody else."
Mayfield completed 10 of his first 11 passes but he had a touchdown pass to Godwin erased by a holding call on the Buccaneers' second drive and he tossed two interceptions in the second quarter, one in the end zone shortly after Evans' injury. Mayfield eventually completed 31 of 45 passes for 370 yards, three touchdowns and those two picks as Tampa Bay's offense generated 481 total yards. This came one week after the Buccaneers set a single-game franchise record with 594 yards in a 51-27 win at New Orleans. Meanwhile, Baltimore generated 508 yards of offense in a game that pitted two of the league's top four scoring squads.
The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 4-3 on the season and kept them in a first-place tie in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons dropped a home game to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, 34-14. The two teams will battle it out for first place next Sunday when the Falcons visit Raymond James Stadium for a rematch of Atlanta's 36-30 overtime win in Week Five.
The Buccaneers' offense made good use of its new "three-headed monster" in the backfield, with running backs Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker combining for 226 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. White led the rushing attack with 40 yards on 10 carries and also gained 71 yards on six catches, scoring on grabs of 11 and 23 yards in the fourth quarter. Irving had 77 yards from scrimmage and scored on a one-yard run with four minutes left in regulation. The Buccaneers successfully pulled off an onside kick before White's second touchdown for the first time in more than a decade.
The Ravens came into the game with the league's top-ranked rushing offense and rushing defense, and had been allowing only 59.0 rushing yards per game through six weeks. The Bucs gained 125 yards on the ground, giving them 562 over the past three games, and at halftime had held the Ravens to 69 rushing yards. However, Derrick Henry, the NFL's leading rusher, broke off runs of 81 and 39 yards in the second half and finished with 169 yards on 15 totes. Quarterback Lamar Jackson also ran for 52 yards, a sidenote on an evening in which he completed 17 of 22 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns, without an interception.
"They got some big plays," said Bowles. "Lamar got out of the pocket, made a big play in the passing game. We turned it over twice. Gave up two big runs in the second half to Henry. Game kind of got away from us."
Mayfield started the game by taking off up the middle on a dropback, gaining six yards. Two plays later, on third-and-three, White caught a swing pass out to the left and dashed up the sideline for an 18-yard gain to the Baltimore 45. Moments later, the Bucs faced another third down, this time needing five yards, and Irving got four yards up the middle. The Bucs left the offense on the field on fourth down at the Baltimore 36 and an end-around to WR Jalen McMillan worked for 11 yards to the 25. On the next snap, Mayfield had time to throw and eventually fired a pass down the left seam to Evans, who made a sliding catch in the end zone to complete the 70-yard touchdown drive.
Chris Collier took the Bucs' opening kickoff back out to the Baltimore 35 and Henry got four yards on a first-down carry over right guard. Jackson kept the ball on a read-zone play and darted up the middle to the 50-yard line on second down. A well-designed screen to WR Zay Flowers gained 11 more yards and another first down, but DL Calijah Kancey dropped Henry for a loss of one on the next play. The Ravens backed up even further on second down when Diaby dropped Jackson for a nine-yard sack. Finally, a blitzing Winfield swarmed over the Ravens' quarterback on third down back at the Baltimore 43. The resulting punt went into the end zone for a touchback.
Starting from the Bucs' 20, Mayfield got the drive going with a nice scrambling improvisation to Irving for a gain of 15. A quick pass over the middle to Godwin two plays later left the Bucs in a third-and-two at their 43, and Mayfield converted with a pass into the stomach of McMillan for a first down just across midfield. In addition, DT Nnamdi Madubuike was flagged for roughing the passer when he clubbed Mayfield in the facemask, taking the ball down to the Baltimore 34. White got seven yards over right guard and Irving bashed into the line to get just enough for a first down. Irving made a nice hesitation cutback on a screen pass to get into the open field for a gain of 14. From the 10, a tunnel screen to White was tripped up after a gain of just two, and Mayfield's next pass was his first incompletion of the night. On third-and-goal, Mayfield scrambled right then left to buy time to unleash a touchdown pass to Godwin, but the play was erased by a holding call on Tristan Wirfs. A tight end screen to Cade Otton took it back to the five and the Bucs sent out K Chase McLaughlin to hit a 23-yard field goal.
After a touchback that put the ball at Baltimore's 30, Jackson lobbed a 14-yard pass to TE Charlie Kolar on the final play of the first quarter. Flowers took an end-around to the right but then reversed field and managed to get 19 yards to the Bucs' 37 before Winfield got him down. Jackson escaped a near-sack by DL Vita Vea and scrambled for another first down at the Bucs' 26. A spinning Henry run got seven and breached the red zone, and TE Isaiah Likely's lunging catch in the right flat made it first-and-goal at the nine. Jackson found TE Mark Andrews by the goal line on the next play for Baltimore's first points.
Tucker got the call in the backfield to start the Bucs' third drive and he started it with a five-yard run over left tackle. A defensive holding call on Baltimore erased a sack and made it first down at the Bucs' 40. Two Tucker runs picked up seven to get the ball near midfield, and a swing pass to White worked again for 13 more to the Ravens' 40. White got eight more up the middle on the next snap, and another screen to Otton was enough to move the sticks at the Baltimore 28. Two plays later, Evans nearly hauled in a second touchdown catch in the back of the end zone but was hurt on the play and had to be helped off. On third-and-six, Godwin ran a slant over the middle and double-clutched a 15-yard pass to make it first-and-goal at the nine. Irving went up the gut on the next play to get the ball down to the three, but Mayfield fired his next pass where CB Marlon Humphrey was able to intercept it in the end zone. It was intended for McMillan.
The ball was placed at Baltimore's 20 after the touchback and Henry rumbled over right guard for 13 yards on the drive's first play. Jackson escaped a near-sack on the next play and directed traffic, eventually throwing deep over the middle to WR Rashod Bateman, who ran 59 yards to the Bucs' eight. The Bucs chased Jackson into a throwaway on first down, and a holding call on Baltimore erased a designed-run touchdown for the quarterback. The Ravens got it all back on the next snap, with a screen to RB Justice Hill springing him for an 18-yard touchdown.
After a touchback, Tucker got the next drive moving with a 15-yard run around left end. Three plays later, the Bucs faced a third-and-eight, which became a third-and-15 after a Luke Goedeke false start. Mayfield tried to find Godwin on a flag route but he was well-covered and the ball was intercepted by Humphrey at the Ravens' 40.
With just under three minutes left in the half, Hill got three yards on a first-down carry but Jackson got just two more on a keeper to the left. After the two-minute warning came and went, Jackson moved the sticks with a seven-yard pass to Likely in the left flat. A short pass to Bateman and a roughing-the-passer call on LB K.J. Britt took the ball down to the Bucs' 28, and a completion to Andrews down the middle added 20 more. A holding call backed the Ravens up 10 yard to the 18, and Jackson's shot to Likely in the end zone was incomplete. Another holding call followed, making it second-and-goal from the 28. Tykee Smith was injured on the play that drew the holding call. Next came an offensive pass interference call, moving the ball back to the 38. A screen to Hill got the ball back to the 30 and Baltimore called its last timeout with 13 seconds left in the half. A quick-hitter over the middle to Agholor made it fourth-and-goal at the 10 and the Ravens brought out Justin Tucker to hit a 28-yard field for a 17-10 halftime lead.
The Ravens got off to a fast start in the second half, taking the opening kickoff out to their 40 and then drawing a personal-foul call on Winfield on the first play from scrimmage. That got the ball all the way down to the Bucs' 37 and Andrews made a great toe-tapping catch for eight yards. The Ravens drew an ineligible-man-downfield penalty to make it second-and-seven. A mishandled snap backed the Ravens back up to their own 47 and a screen to Hill left Baltimore in a fourth-and-seven. Tucker came on to hit a 52-yard field goal for a 10-point Baltimore lead.
After a touchback, Mayfield rolled right on first down and threw a deep out to WR Trey Palmer for a gain of 16, and two White runs moved the chains to the Baltimore 43. Three plays later, the Bucs faced a third-and-five, and a Mayfield scramble came up short. The Bucs tried McLaughlin on a 55-yard field goal but it hit the right upright, marking the first time in six attempts this season that he missed from 50 or more yards.
An eight-yard run by Henry and a penalty on the Bucs made it first down at the Bucs' 42, but two plays later the Ravens committed a holding penalty to put it back near midfield. On the next snap, Jackson went over the top to Bateman for a 49-yard touchdown to make it 27-10.
The Bucs' next drive started with a short pass right to Irving that the rookie turned into a 25-yard game by reversing course all the way to the opposite sideline. The drive fizzled quickly after that, however, with Mayfield taking a two-yard sack on third-and-12. Trenton Gill's first punt of the game was fair caught at the Ravens' eight.
Henry then went on one of his patented breakout runs, gaining 81 yards before Zyon McCollum knocked him out at the eight. The Bucs got Baltimore into a fourth-and-goal at the four but the Ravens went for it and Jackson found Andrews again for another touchdown.
The Bucs' next drive went three-and-out. An apparent third-down scramble for a first down by Mayfield was erased when he was flagged for a facemask penalty, and he was sacked on the next play. Gill's punt rolled to a stop at the Ravens' 30.
Two plays into the ensuing drive, Jackson scrambled on second-and-15 and got 17 for a fresh set of downs. The Bucs' defense got the ball back moments later, as the Ravens botched what was ruled a backward pass and McCollum recovered the ball at the 30. On third-and-11, Mayfield found Otton down the left numbers for just enough to move the chains. A tunnel screen to Godwin got the ball down to within inches of a first down at the 10, and on the next play a well-developed screen to White got the ball into the end zone. The Bucs went for two and Mayfield converted with a pass to WR Sterling Shepard, making it a 16-point game – or, potentially, two possessions – with 11:24 left in regulation.
Two plays into the ensuing drive, Henry got loose again, bulling down the left side for 39 yard to the Bucs' 28. Two short runs put Baltimore into a third-and-six, and Jackson moved the sticks with an eight-yard out to Bateman. The Bucs then got the Ravens into a third-and-seven but Henry leaked out to the right flat, caught a short pass and took it into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown.
The Bucs went into hurry-up mode and Mayfield threw a quick five-yard pass to Godwin before finding Otton down the middle for 28. Three plays later, on third-and-four from the Baltimore 31, Godwin caught a short pass and extended the ball just past the sticks for a first down. Mayfield found Otton down the left seam and the tight end made a leaping catch and survived a low hit to gain 23 yard to the four. After a false start, Mayfield got it to McMillan at the two, then handed off to Irving who was stopped just short of the goal line. Irving plunged in on the next play and the Bucs went for two, unsuccessfully.
The Bucs attempted an onside kick and pulled it off, with CB Tavierre Thomas leaping to haul in a high bounce. The Bucs got one first down before Mayfield found Shepard at the Baltimore 18. After a Goedeke false start, Mayfield threw to McMillan in the end zone but it was just out of his reach. On the next play, White got wide open on the left side and Mayfield got it to him for an easy 23-yard touchdown.
The Bucs tried another onside kick but didn't get this one. The Ravens ran the ball three times to burn the Bucs' timeouts, then punted down to the Buccaneers' 18. Mayfield took a sack on second down but found Godwin for 21 yards, unfortunately on the play that ended in his injury. Four plays later, Mayfield scrambled for 12 yards as time expired.
