The Buccaneers came up short in their preseason finale suffering a 23-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Raymond James Stadium. Quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Connor Bazelak had a solid showing, combining for 25 completions out of 36 attempts, 200 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 101.6 passer rating. However, they were outperformed by Bills quarterback Shane Buechele, who completed an impressive 83.3% of his passes.
Head Coach Todd Bowles spoke with the media following the game.
“I like the way ‘Baze’ handled the two-minute at the end.” Bowles stated. “We had some good kickoff returns, so that was positive. He did a heck of a job in the second half; he did a good job last week. So, he’s growing without a lot of reps. He’s shown that he can grow and all that stuff is positive, but we’ve got to way it against everything else.”
The Buccaneers and Bills didn’t field their starters or key players in their preseason matchup. Trask led the Buccaneers, while Buechele started for the Bills. Notably, Buccaneers Bills quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen and sat out the entire preseason. Teddy Bridgewater was absent from the Buccaneers due to illness. With both teams meeting again in the regular season, they stuck to straightforward game plans. The Buccaneers’ offense was limited to 241 yards, with 45 rushing yards.
Tez Johnson was solid for the Buccaneers, hauling in 8 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Garrett Greene, a former college quarterback turned wide receiver, had a notable preseason performance. He snagged 3 catches for 18 yards and scored a crucial touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Bazelak, bringing the Buccaneers within striking distance. This marked Greene’s first NFL touchdown, showcasing his adaptability and potential on the field.
“He really improved from last week to this week understanding the little things.” Stated Bowles about Johnson. “He made some playss, he played fast, he played like he knew what he was doing.”
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The Buccaneers stuck to a conservative game plan, with Trask and Bazelak limiting their downfield attempts. However, Bazelak did find Kam Johnson on a deep pass in the fourth quarter for 30 yards. Johnson finished with two receptions for 34 yards and had notable returns, including 27 yards on two punt returns and 57 yards on a kickoff return. The Buccaneers’ return game was a highlight, averaging 38 yards on five kickoff returns and 13.5 yards on two punt returns.
“Like I said,” Bowles added. “that was one of the better things that we did tonight, from a return standpoint, getting the ball out to the 50 almost every time.”
The Buccaneers’ defense failed to record a takeaway in their preseason finale, a stark contrast to their six interceptions in the first two preseason games. Safety Kaevon Merriweather and cornerback Tre Avery, who was signed just two days prior, led the team with seven tackles each. Rookie defensive lineman Elijah Roberts showcased his skills with one sack, though another was nullified due to an unrelated penalty. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie safety Shilo Sanders’ night was cut short when he was ejected in the second quarter for throwing a punch resulting in an unnecessary roughness penalty.
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