Baker Mayfield once again delivered in the final moments, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a game-winning drive to beat the Houston Texans 20-19 on Monday Night Football.
With less than three minutes left and his team down by five, Baker Mayfield kept his composure, converted on a critical fourth down with his legs, and marched Tampa Bay down the field before Rachaad White finished the drive with the decisive touchdown run. The Buccaneers improved to 2-0, adding another late-game escape to their resume.
According to OptaSTATS, Mayfield became just the second quarterback in the last 30 years to engineer back-to-back game-winning touchdown drives that began with under 2:30 left in regulation. The only other QB to accomplish that was Brett Favre in 1999, placing Mayfield in historic company.
The performance was not without adversity. Mayfield took four sacks and constant pressure from Houston's defense, but still completed 25 of 38 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
He also added 33 yards on the ground, highlighted by the clutch scramble to extend Tampa Bay's final possession. Alongside White's 65 rushing yards and Bucky Irving's 71 yards on the ground, the Buccaneers balanced their attack enough to stay within striking distance.
Tampa Bay's receiving corps contributed across the board, with Mike Evans pulling in five catches for 56 yards, Sterling Shepard adding four receptions for 34 yards, and Emeka Egbuka finding the end zone. Cade Otton and Ryan Miller also chipped in, ensuring Mayfield had multiple outlets when the game was on the line.
The late heroics also made team history. Per multiple outlets, Tampa Bay joined the 1979 Cleveland Browns as the only NFL teams to start a season 2-0 despite trailing in the final minute of both contests. That underscores just how improbable and resilient this Buccaneers team has been so far.
Tampa Bay now returns home to face the New York Jets in Week 3, aiming for its first 3-0 start since 2005.
