Chase McLaughlin’s fifth field goal was a 36-yarder with no time remaining to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 29-27 victory over the visiting New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
McLaughlin’s winning kick came after the Buccaneers (3-0) blew a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead. New York went ahead by a point when Will McDonald IV blocked a field goal and scored on a 50-yard return with 1:49 remaining.
Jamel Dean returned an interception for touchdown and Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans as the Buccaneers recorded their first 3-0 start since 2005.
Mayfield completed 19 of 29 passes for 233 yards.
Tyrod Taylor started in place of Justin Fields and was 26-of-36 passing for 197 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for a team-best 48 yards. Fields (concussion) was injured in last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Garrett Wilson had 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown for New York, which is 0-3 for the first time since 2021.
The Jets lost defensive stalwarts Sauce Gardner (concussion) and Quincy Williams (shoulder) during the contest.
Evans left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. He had four receptions for 33 yards.
New York trailed 23-6 entering the fourth quarter but later pulled within 26-20 on Taylor’s 4-yard scoring pass to Allen Lazard with 3:40 remaining.
The Buccaneers were looking to make it a two-possession game with under two minutes to go when McLaughlin’s 43-yard field goal was blocked by McDonald.
McDonald jumped over a Tampa Bay lineman and easily swatted the ball and then scooped it up at midfield and returned it for his first NFL touchdown.
But Mayfield drove the Buccaneers 48 yards over 1:49 to set up McLaughlin’s decisive boot.
Earlier, Tampa Bay took a 10-6 lead when Mayfield tossed a 5-yard scoring pass to Evans with 11:15 left in the first half. McLaughlin tacked on a 33-yard field goal to make it a seven-point lead with 1:43 remaining.
Taylor then made a big mistake as he threw off his back foot toward the left sideline. Wilson waited for the throw and Dean hurried to intercept the pass and race 55 yards for his second career touchdown and give Tampa Bay a 20-6 lead with 17 seconds left in the half.
The Buccaneers began the second half with a 16-play, 67-yard drive that lasted nine minutes, nine seconds. But the excursion stalled and McLaughlin entered to kick a 28-yard field goal to give Tampa Bay a 17-point lead.
The Jets traveled 80 yards on 10 plays early in the fourth quarter with Taylor connecting with Wilson on an 11-yard scoring pass to pull them within 23-13 with 10:12 remaining.
Nearly four minutes later, McLaughlin nailed a 55-yard field goal to put Tampa Bay up by 13.
