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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — After a particularly rocky first half at the Minnesota Vikings that saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offense get just 63 yards of offense, quarterback Baker Mayfield connected with wide receiver Mike Evans in the end zone on a 28-yard touchdown for Mayfield’s first touchdown as a Buccaneer. It was Evans’ 82nd career touchdown.
Trailing 7-3 with 1:14 to in the first half, offensive coordinator Dave Canales, also making his Bucs debut, had a pair of receivers on each side running scissors concepts, with Evans running a post route and working against safety Josh Metellus in coverage. With the point after from Chase McLaughlin, the Bucs tied the Vikings 10-10.
The first half had been all Vikings, outgaining the Bucs 287 yards to 96 yards of total offense and just one third-down conversion that came from wide receiver Chris Godwin on that same scoring drive. But the Bucs’ defense forced three first-half turnovers to keep them in the game.
Baker Mayfield’s first touchdown in Tampa Bay goes to Mike Evans #GoBucs #FPC #NFL #NFLTwitter
— Full Press NFL (@FullPressNFL) September 10, 2023