Bucs Take Week One Victory Over Vikings

By Lily Belcher

Quarterback Baker Mayfield seemed to fit nicely with the young Buccaneers team, securing a close 20-17 victory over the Vikings Sunday afternoon. Mayfield went back-and-forth with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, but a decisive 57-yard field goal by Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin was enough to give the defending NFC South champions the edge.

“It was a good test for us for our first match. We’re going to grow. We’re going to get better. Offensively we have a long way to go, but we’ll take all the wins we can get. It’s extremely hard in this league,” Mayfield said.

The Bucs defense intercepted two fumbles off sloppy handoffs by Cousins in the first half. They scored first in U.S. Bank Stadium with a 36-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin, who joined the Bucs in the off season.

The Vikings responded with an 83-yard touchdown drive off seven quick plays. Cousins kept a quick tempo for his possessions, limiting huddles to throw off the Buccaneers defense. They tacked on a 25-yard field goal on their next possession to give them a 10-3 lead over Tampa Bay.

Mayfield answered with a 28-yard shotgun pass to Mike Evans with less than two minutes to go in the half to tie the game.

The Vikings made a 42-yard drive with less than a minute to go in the half and entered the red zone hoping to take the lead. As Cousins made a promising throw towards the end zone, Buccaneers free agent rookie Christian Izien snagged the pass for his first career interception.

“Schematically they gave us a hard time in the beginning,” coach Todd Bowles said. “They did some things we had to get used to. I think the adjustments they made at halftime were outstanding. We started moving the ball some. We stuck with it.”

The Bucs took a 17-10 lead with a touchdown by rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer in the third quarter off a 70-yard drive after receiving the kickoff and kept the Vikings offense at bay until the fourth.

Cousins made a 20-play touchdown drive with a 4-yard connection into the end zone to tie the game before the Bucs drove the ball to the Vikings half for McLaughlin to score the winning points with his 57-yard, longest-career field goal.

“I couldn’t have drawn it up any better. That’s what we got him for. He was accurate, he got it through the uprights. He made a hell of a kick,” Bowles said about McLaughlin’s final field goal.

After the season opening 20-17 victory, the Bucs look forward to week two when they host the Bears. The new roster is still building camaraderie, but the first game was a promising look at what Tampa Bay has to offer this year.

“It’s week one. We’re still growing together.,” Bowles said. “…They grew as a team. They’re continuing to grow as a team. I really like where they’re at. We just got to keep getting better.”