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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Minnesota Vikings 20–17 win on Week 1 of the 2023 season, a good start considering their in the post-Tom Brady world right now.
New Bucs starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, played a pivotal role in securing the win, going 21 of 34 passing with 184 total yards and two touchdown passes.
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— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 11, 2023
Mayfield’s performance earned him praise from teammates, with running back Rachaad White highlighting a game-changing moment.
White, speaking to the Buccaneers Radio Network on Monday, shed light on the turning point of the game. After a rocky start, Mayfield surprised his teammates by deciphering Minnesota’s defensive signals in real-time.
“I just remember Bake came in the locker room literally at halftime and said, ‘I got it. We got all these signals,'” White said.
“We’re in there talking as an offense and he’s like, ‘I know all these signals. If they do this, they’re going into Cover-2. If they do this, they’re going into Cover-3. Every time I alert this and they do this signal, they’re dropping back to this.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ … I was just listening to him, and we were listening to him, and we just kind of understood.”
Although the Buccaneers’ offensive performance was not flawless throughout the game, the outcome was exactly what the team had hoped for.
Tampa Bay, now in transition after the departure of Tom Brady, aspires to make a deep playoff run and surpass expectations in the 2023 season.