The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-14 Friday night to wrap up their 2024 preseason.
This was a good game for the Buccaneers. While there are still some flaws with the team, they will be a contender for the division and in the playoffs.
But, to start with the bad, the Bucs allowed Skylar Thompson to go 19/27, 190 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Not only that, but there were certain throws where he straight up looked like Patrick Mahomes. It’s just an indictment that this secondary may not be all there yet. This also was Sean Tucker’s worst game. He had 6 carries for 20 yards for 2.9 ypc. A lot closer to what he was doing in the regular season than the preseason. Speaking of offense, the team went 1/10 on 3rd down. Good lord. But, to give some credit, they did go 3/3 on 4th down.
I want to start by praising Kyle Trask for a really good game. A much maligned player who I would argue hasn’t deserved it. He played one of his best games tonight, mostly because they couldn’t put John Wolford in. 17/24, 141, and two touchdowns. Not only that, but he also made some incredibly tight window throws. He should’ve had 3 tds, but Cody Thompson let an easy TD fall through his hands. I was especially impressed with his rapport with Ryan Miller, who had one of his TD grabs. Also, Tanner Knue looked like Mike Evans on his TD reception, so that’s always nice.
To shift to the defensive side, there weren’t a lot of sacks by the team, but there was still a lot of good play (just not always in the secondary). I think everyone was impressed with Antonio Grier Jr, a back-up LB. He had an interception on Skylar over the middle. He also should’ve had a fumble return for a TD were it not for the tuck rule (it really didn’t look like a throw, but whatever).
But yeah, this was an incredibly solid game for the team. Baker Mayfield and the starters (minus Mike Evans and Lavonte David), didn’t look like he missed a beat. Jalen McMillan had one of the best catches of the preseason and Vita Vea almost carried the center home. The Bucs have managed to escape the pre-season with no serious injuries to their starters. Now, they can look to prepare for their home opener against the Washington Commanders.
