Football
Rapid Reaction: Buccaneers 30, Giants 7
The Buccaneers dominated the Giants 30-7 at MetLife Stadium. Baker Mayfield completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 294 yards and a 107.5 quarterback rating. Four different players scored a rushing touchdown – marking the first time in club annals – including Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Baker Mayfield and Sean Tucker. Mike Evans compiled 68 yards in his debut from a hamstring injury and Irving added 64 yards receiving. The longest play of the day was a 56-yard run by Irving that sparked momentum. At the half mark, the Bucs held a 290-45 net yard advantage over the Giants and a first-down advantage of 17-3. The Bucs finished the Week 12 outing with a yard advantage of 450-245.
The Bucs scored on their opening possession, capping off a 14-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard Sean Tucker rush. Vita Vea came in as the fullback on offense, paving the way for Tucker through the interior to provide a 7-0 lead for the visiting team. Then in the second quarter, the Bucs crossed the goal line again on a Bucky Irving six-yard run. Cade Otton sank into a zone and Baker Mayfield connected with the tight end for a gain of 30 yards. Irving capitalized with a cutback to the right and accelerated up the middle for the touchdown. On Tampa Bay’s next possession in the second quarter (nine plays, 86 yards), Mayfield scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown rush. A 32-yard play by Bucky Irving off a quick pass helped set up the scoring play.
Late in the third, the Bucs extended their lead 30-0 with a one-yard Rachaad White touchdown rush that was prompted by a Rakim Jarrett 30-yard gain. White’s score marked the first time in Bucs’ history that the club has had four different players rush for a score.
In the first half, three players registered sacks on Tommy DeVito, including Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Anthony Nelson. Kancey’s sack brought his season total to five, marking a new career-high for the second-year standout out of Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay’s defense limited the Giants to 45 yards in the first half, the fewest allowed by the unit in any half during the 2024 slate. Early in the third quarter, Lavonte David forced a Tyrone Tracy fumble and Kancey recovered the football at the Tampa Bay five-yard line. The Giants did not score until the fourth quarter on a Devin Singletary one-yard touchdown rush. From third-and-four, DeVito scrambled for 17 yards and Jordan Whitehead stopped the signal-caller short of the goal line with a physical open-field tackle. He was injured on the play with a pectoral designation and did not return to the game. Antoine Winfield Jr. also recorded a sack on DeVito during the second half, bringing the team total to four.