The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into Sunday looking to break a five-game losing streak, and looking to break that losing streak without the services of starting quarterback Jameis Winston (Out with shoulder injury) or wide out Mike Evans who was serving the one-game suspension earned a week ago during a loss in New Orleans.
The Bucs defense got things started after winning the coin toss and deferring, and got off to a good start, getting off the field after a 3-and-out aided by a holding call on the New York Jets. The Bucs forced a punt from within the Jets 10-yard-line, and would start their first drive with very good field position, starting out at their own 41-yard-line.
Unfortunately for the Bucs, their starting field position was the best thing about their drive as they followed the Jets 3-and-out with one of their own. A Brian Anger punt later, the Jets would start at their own 20-yard-line.
A 21-yard Bilal Powell carry later, the Jets were nearing midfield with a 1st-and-10 at the 41. An offensive pass interference call would help stall the Jets drive, and the Bucs would get another chance to get on the board first after the Jets fell just two yards short on third down.
The Bucs next drive started at their own 12-yard-line, but Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to flip the field and move the ball deep into Jets territory before the drive finally stalled at the 11-yard-line, sending Patrick Murray in for a 29-yard field goal to put the Bucs ahead 3-0 with under a minute to play in quarter number one.
The Jets offense wasn’t able to come up with much as the second quarter began, and a punt deep into Bucs territory was returned 44 yards by Bernard Reedy, setting the Bucs up at midfield with a 1st-and-10 as they looked to add to an early 3-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Bucs, they went 3-and-out, and quickly had to punt the ball back to New York.
Moments after the Bucs punt, Josh McCown threw a dep ball over the middle, and Brent Grimes made a fantastic play to intercept the football. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, their possession wouldn’t last much longer as Fitzpatrick threw a deep ball over the middle himself, and Jets corner Darryl Roberts intercepted it at the 5-yard-line.
The Jets next possession was once again as underwhelming as the entire first half had been, and the Bucs would quickly be in possession at their own 35-yard-line.
After swapping disappointing possessions, the Jets finally moved the ball deep into Bucs territory as the first half was winding down. The Jets drive finished in a strange way as they lost yardage on a rare Bucs sack by an unblocked Will Clarke, and then it seemed the Jets gave up on trying to score a touchdown as they squandered time, and eventually sent Chandler Catanzaro out for a 47-yard field goal and teams went to the half with the score tied up 3-3 after one of the least dramatic and entertaining halves of football one could see.
The Bucs started the second half with the football, and quickly had one of their more successful plays of the game as Fitzpatrick found Chris Godwin for 16 yards on a play action pass one 1st-and-16. A play later it was Fitzpatrick finding Godwin again for 12 yards, and the Bucs were in Jets territory. It looked as if the drive could stall on a 3rd-and-10, but Fitzpatrick found Desean Jackson for 19 yards, and the Bucs were looking at 1st-and-10 at the Jets 28-yard-line. Doug Martin had a solid run on first down, but a Donovan Smith hold pushed the Bucs back 10 yards. The holding call was too much for the Bucs to overcome, and the drive stalled at the Jets 31. Murray came in to attempt and make a 49-yard field goal, and the Bucs were ahead 6-3 in a game that saw both teams combine for just six first half points.
After a Jets 3-0, Jets punter Lachlan Edwards kicked a Tim Wakefield-esque knuckler of a punt, but the ball somehow still went 37 yards before being downed at the Buccaneers 31-yard line, as the Bucs looked to add to their three-point lead. Something they failed to do much of the first half that they spent leading 3-0 until a field goal as the half expired.
While the Bucs were able to approach midfield on the drive, they eventually sent Anger out for another punt, pinning the Jets inside their own 10-yard-line. The Bucs were able to hold the Jets to a 3-and-out, and the second half began much like the first half went, underwhelming play by both teams. After yet another Bucs 3-and-out, Anger was sent out for another punt as the Bucs clung to a 6-3 lead with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Jets next drive included an actual first down, and right when it looked as if the Bucs had held the Jets on third down, however, the Bucs fortunes were even better than that as what initially looked like just a Kwon Alexander tackle was actually a forced fumble which was recovered by Lavonte David.
Moments after the turnover, Fitzpatrick hit Jackson for a 20-yard gain, and the Bucs were looking at a 1st-and-10 at the Jets 31-yard-like. Fitzpatrick was looking for Jackson again on 3rd-and-11 when he was intercepted by the Jets Marcus May, but an illegal contact call on May gave the Bucs a 1st-and-10 at the 27-yard-line. A heartbeat later the Fitzpatrick and the Bucs were once again faced with a 3rd-and-11, and this time a Jackson reception found him two yards short of a first down, so Patrick Murray once again came into add points by knocking through a 37-yard field goal to push the Bucs ahead 9-3.
The Jets faced a 3rd-and-16 just moments into the game’s final quarter, and the Bucs defense held again, forcing the Jets to punt the ball back to a Bucs team which had an opportunity to open up a two-possession game for the first time all afternoon.
A play after Doug Martin was stopped for a four-yard loss on a first-down carry, Godwin took a Fitzpatrick pass and broke tackles to pick up 13 yards and set up a 3rd-and-1. Fitzpatrick found Charles Sims for three yards a play later, and the Bucs were able to avoid a poorly-timed 3-and-out. The drive looked over as Fitzpatrick couldn’t connect with Jackson on third down, but a pass interference call gave the Bucs another first down. A J.R. Sweezy hold later, the Bucs were faced with 1st-and-20 at their own 34-yard-line. The penalty looked to be too much for the Bucs to overcome again, but a pitch to Charles Sims on 3rd-and-15 picked up 21 yards and it was 1st-and-10 at the Jets 40-yard-line. Moments later a quick pass to Adam Humphries picked up 13 yards, and it was 1st-and-10 at the 27-yard-line. Two Martin carries later the Bucs had another first down and continued to chew clock. After a time consuming drive the Bucs finally found the end zone as Fitzpatrick hit Sims out of the backfield for a touchdown on third down to put the Bucs ahead 15-3. After a failed 2-point-conversion, the Bucs held onto a 12-point lead with just over six minutes to play.
While the game was almost in hand and looked about to be closed out by the Bucs, they gave up a big chunk on 4th-and-16 to extend the Jets hopes a little longer. With just over two and a half minutes to go the Jets turned the ball over on downs to the Buccaneers, and the rest looked elementary, but of course this would't be the 2017 Bucs without making it a little interesting late. McCown took the Jets 70 yards in six plays and found Robbie Anderson for a 38-yard touchdown pass to pull the Jets to within five at 15-10 with just 28 seconds remaining. The Bucs were able to recover the onside kick after a timeout and finish off the victory, ending a five-game losing streak with their victory over the team from New Jersey.