ATLANTA — Baker Mayfield found rookie Emeka Egbuka for a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left on Sunday to propel the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 23-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Mayfield completed 17-of-32 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns while Egbuka had four catches for 67 yards and two scores to lead Tampa Bay to a season-opening win.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 298 yards and a touchdown and Bijan Robinson had 100 receiving yards and a score in the loss. The Falcons had a chance to force overtime, but Younghoe Koo’s 44-yard field-goal attempt drifted right with two seconds to go.
With the score 10-10, Kameron Johnson’s 53-yard punt return to Atlanta’s 32-yard line was followed by Mayfield’s 20-yard rush on third down and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Bucky Irving that gave Tampa Bay a seven-point edge with 7:26 left in the third quarter,
Koo’s 36-yard field goal trimmed Atlanta’s deficit to 17-13 with 20 seconds left in the third.
After a Tampa Bay punt, the Falcons’ ensuing drive of 18 plays and 91 yards lasted nearly nine minutes before Penix ran in a 4-yard touchdown on fourth and goal to give the Falcons a 20-17 lead at the 2:17 mark.
Tampa Bay answered in just five plays as Atlanta’s Ruke Orhorhoro’s roughing-the-passer penalty extended the Buccaneers’ drive to the 25-yard line, where Mayfield connected with Egbuka for the go-ahead score. Chase McLaughlin missed the extra point, which left the door open for the Falcons.
Penix ran eight plays to get the Falcons from their own 14 to the Bucs’ 26, but Koo’s 44-yard field goal attempt missed wide right with two seconds left.
The Falcons struck early as Penix connected with Robinson for a 50-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. Penix checked the ball down to Robinson, who eluded linebacker SirVocea Dennis and scampered in for his sixth career receiving score.
After punting on each of its first two drives, Tampa Bay pieced together a 16-play, 61-yard drive that lasted more than eight minutes. McLaughlin capped it with a 48-yard field goal at the 10:17 mark of the second quarter.
Following a Falcons turnover on downs, Tampa Bay capped a five-play, 52-yard scoring drive with Mayfield’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Egbuka to give the Buccaneers their first lead with 6:53 left in the first half.
Atlanta knotted the score at 10 on Koo’s 41-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining in the first half.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
