The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fought back from a 9-0 deficit at Raymond James Stadium to come out on top, 16-15, in Preseason Week Two against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bucs’ starters on both sides of the football began the game with a couple series. Tampa Bay’s first-team offense was unable to put points on the board but the defense forced two-straight three-and-outs as the squad generated consistent pressure on Justin Fields, with Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby working their way into the backfield. Baker Mayfield completed two of four attempts for 10 yards in his brief sample size.
Jake Browning played the majority of the first half after Mayfield exited, excluding a single play after a sack when Jalon Daniels came in. Browning played the first drive out of the second half and overall, completed eight of 11 attempts for 84 yards. Daniels took over in the third frame and led the Bucs on three-straight scoring drives, including two that culminated in touchdowns. He connected with Ko Kieft in the back of the end zone on a two-yard touchdown in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 9-7 on a seven-play, 49-yard drive. The next drive resulted in a B.T. Potter 46-yard field goal and the exclamation came in the fourth, as Daniels’ vision on the move and improvisation skills set up Sean Tucker’s one-yard touchdown rush.
“He did a good job closing out the game for the second week in a row,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles on Daniels. “He made some plays, some clutch plays. Obviously, there are a lot of things that he has to learn but at the same time, he goes out there and he makes things happen and he gives us a chance to win.”
Daniels completed nine of 14 attempts for 71 yards and a 100.6 quarterback rating. He rushed seven times for 19 yards, including a 10-yard scramble to move the chains. The undrafted rookie ignited the offense for the second-consecutive week, setting the tone with poise, precision at layering the football and scrambling prowess. He showcased quick delivery, open-field prowess and ability to throw accurately while extending plays.
“I think I am very confident with everything that I do within the game of football,” noted Daniels. “I have been playing since I was seven years old … Every single opportunity that comes my way and my number is called, I am going to go out there and do it 100 percent confidently and do it with a smile and go out there and play 100 percent hard.”
Defensively, Anthony Nelson fired off the left edge in the first quarter and sacked Justin Fields, punching the ball out in the process. Kansas City recovered the fumble, but Nelson’s clutch play stalled the Chiefs’ momentum and forced a punt. Later in the fourth quarter, undrafted rookie Roman Parodie made his presence felt. Chris Oladokun’s second pass of the game was intercepted by Parodie at the Kansas City 37-yard line. He was pushed out of bounds at the 22 after a 15-yard return, which put the offense back on the field and spurred Tucker’s touchdown.
“We called a play where I knew that I had inside help and I was slow to jump it inside and then I played my receiver’s back hip and then the ball got thrown somewhere else,” said Parodie. “I was in the right place at the right time. The ball came out, found my hands and I had to get sticky.”
To start things off at Raymond James Stadium, the Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to receive. Justin Fields started the game at quarterback for Kansas City and handed the ball off on the first two plays to Kenneth Walker. A short pass to Cyrus Allen set up fourth-and-three and an ensuing punt on a quick three-and-out. The Bucs’ first-team offense then took the field with a couple handoffs to Bucky Irving, with the second resulting in a first down following a quick cut. Irving picked up another couple yards in the team’s run heavy script before Kenny Gainwell entered the game, but an unnecessary roughness penalty on Ted Hurst III put Tampa Bay behind the chains.
On the subsequent punt, a holding penalty on Kansas City by Chris Roland-Wallace backed the Chiefs up to the 14-yard line. After a couple short passes to Jalen Royals and Tyquan Thornton, followed by an incompletion on third down, the Chiefs were forced to punt with stout coverage by the Bucs defense on the drive. Rueben Bain Jr. hit a wicked inside hump move that bullied the blocker into submission, leading to a frazzled Fields and no gain for Kansas City.
The Buccaneers began the next drive from the 29-yard line and quickly went three-and-out. On the ensuing kick, two penalties offset one another from both teams – unsportsmanlike conduct against Tampa Bay and an offensive holding against Kansas City – and Tampa Bay elected to re-kick after the initial 59-yarder by Riley Dixon. His 51-yarder set the Chiefs up at the 20-yard line. After a quick pass to Jared Wiley on second down, a pickup of eight by Emari Demercado gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs. After two-straight runs by Demercado, Anthony Nelson flew off the left edge and sacked Justin Fields for a loss of eight, stripping the ball in the process. The ball was recovered by Kahlil Benson on third down, but Kansas City was forced to punt after the momentum-shifting play. With just over two minutes to go in the first quarter, Jake Browning entered the game on the ensuing drive. After a scramble on first down, Browning was sacked by Felix Anudike-Uzomah for a loss of nine on second down. Following a Jalon Daniels’ six-yard pass to Dean Patterson IV, Tampa Bay was forced to punt.
Fields hit Royals for a gain of nine versus off coverage, before Ayden Garnes closed the void in zone. To start the second quarter, Fields rolled out to the right and delivered an off-platform dart to Andrew Armstrong crossing the field for a gain of 14 yards. Another first-down gain of 15 yards by Jake Briningstool set up the Chiefs at the Tampa Bay 25-yard line. An illegal formation penalty on Benson backed the opposition up five yards. A five-yard gain by Royals off a short pass then set up third-and-10, which the Chiefs converted on a Fields’ 15-yard scramble to the Tampa Bay 10. Demercado rushed up the middle for a three-yard tote and Ifeatu Melifonwu’s tight coverage on Nikko Remigio prevented the touchdown. On the next play, Fields was flushed out of the pocket. Mohamed Kamara and Anthony Nelson chased down the quarterback and dropped him for a loss of 20 yards on third down. The duo killed the drive, resulting in a Harrison Butker 45-yard field goal.