INJURY REPORT
DNP: Did not participate in practice
LP: Limited participation in practice
FP: Full participation in practice
• OLB Rueben Bain Jr. (groin) – WEDS: DNP
• QB Baker Mayfield (illness) – WEDS: FP
• WR Jalen McMillan (knee) – WEDS: FP
• CB Anthony Nelson (shin) – WEDS: DNP
• CB Jacob Parrish (back) – WEDS: FP
• LB Josiah Trotter (shoulder) – WEDS: DNP
• RB DeeJay Dallas (toe) – WEDS: LP
• DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (oblique) – WEDS: LP
• LB Jake Golday (ankle) – WEDS: DNP
• RB Aaron Jones (knee) – WEDS: DNP
• T Brian O’Neill (knee) – WEDS: LP
• DL Jalen Redmond (elbow) – WEDS: LP
• C Nick Samac (knee) – WEDS: LP
• P Brett Thorson (right hamstring) – WEDS: DNP
BUCCANEERS’ UNIFORM COMBINATION
The Buccaneers will wear white jerseys and pewter pants in Week Three.
WEATHER FORECAST
Mostly cloudy. High of 84 (feels like 86), low of 67, no rain expected, 45% humidity, winds out of the NW at 6 mph.
GAME REFEREE
Head referee: Scott Novak (13th season, eighth as referee)
BETTING LINE
• Favorite: Vikings (-1.5)
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
Points Scored: K Chase McLauglin, 22
Touchdowns: WR Emeka Egbuka/RB Bucky Irving/QB Baker Mayfield/LB Josiah Trotter, 1
Passing Yards: QB Baker Mayfield, 398
Passer Rating: QB Baker Mayfield, 86.6
Rushing Yards: RB Bucky Irving, 134
Receptions: RB Bucky Irving, 11
Receiving Yards: WR Chris Godwin, 86
Interceptions: LB Josiah Trotter, 1
Sacks: DL A’Shawn Robinson/LB Josiah Trotter/OLB David Walker, 1.0
Tackles: LB Josiah Trotter, 21
Points Scored: K Will Reichard, 16
Touchdowns: WR Justin Jefferson, 2
Passing Yards: QB Carson Wentz, 276
Passer Rating: QB Carson Wentz, 106.4
Rushing Yards: RB Aaron Jones, 145
Receptions: WR Justin Jefferson, 11
Receiving Yards: WR Justin Jefferson, 147
Interceptions: CB Byron Murphy/CB James Pierre, 1
Sacks: OLB Dallas Turner, 3.0
Tackles: LB Blake Cashman, 17
TEAM STAT RANKINGS
Scoring Offense: 16th (23.0 ppg)
Total Offense: t-19th (297.5 ypg)
Rushing Offense: t-12th (113.0 ypg)
Passing Offense: 23rd (184.5 ypg)
First Downs Per Game: t-18th (18.0)
Third-Down Pct.: 9th (46.2%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 28th (11.29%)
Red Zone TD Pct.: t-26th (37.5%)
Scoring Defense: 25th (28.0 ppg)
Total Defense: 13th (309.0 ypg)
Rushing Defense: 4th (75.0 ypg)
Passing Defense: 21st (234.0 ypg)
First Downs Allowed Per Game: t-22nd (20.5)
Third-Down Pct. Allowed:Â 25th (48.2%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 27th (4.62%)
Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 7th (37.5%)
Turnover Margin: 30th (-4)
Scoring Offense: 14th (24.0 ppg)
Total Offense: 32nd (242.5 ypg)
Rushing Offense: t-12th (113.0 ypg)
Passing Offense: 31st (129.5 ypg)
First Downs Per Game: 29th (15.0)
Third-Down Pct.:Â 15th (39.3%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 31st (13.64%)
Red Zone TD Pct.: t-4th (80.0)
Scoring Defense: 4th (12.5 ppg)
Total Defense: 25th (358.0 ypg)
Rushing Defense: 14th (100.0 ypg)
Passing Defense: 28th (258.0 ypg)
First Downs Allowed Per Game: t-14th (18.0)
Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 8th (29.6%)
Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 5th (10.39%)
Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 3rd (14.3%)
Turnover Margin: t-1st (+3)
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• A Tampa Bay victory on Sunday would be notable for General Manager Jason Licht in that it would be the team’s 100th victory, including playoffs, since he stepped into his current post in 2014. He would become the first general manager in franchise history to reach 100 wins.
• Baker Mayfield is two touchdown passes away from reaching 200 in his career in the regular season.
• Mayfield is close to moving into the top five in franchise history in passing yards. He currently ranks seventh with 12,635 yards, but he only needs 16 more to leapfrog Doug Williams (12,648) for sixth place. If he has a particularly productive outing against the Vikings and gets 335 yards or more, he will also pass Trent Dilfer (12,969) for fifth place.
• Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has nine career interceptions. With one more, he would become just the 16th defensive back in NFL history to combine 10 interceptions with at least 15 sacks and at least 500 tackles. Only five of those 16 were able to do so in their first seven seasons: Bill Bates, Dave Duerson, Rondey Harrison, Derwin James and Adrian Wilson.
• Kicker Chase McLaughlin has scored 414 points since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. With one more field goal, he would jump over both Donald Igwebuike (416) and Matt Bryant (416) for the sixth most points scored in Bucs history. If McLaughlin gets three field goals, he would join Martin Gramatica, Michael Husted and Connor Barth as the only kickers in team annals to get to 100 successful field goals.
NOTABLY QUOTABLE
• Head Coach Todd Bowles on whether QB Baker Mayfield is trying to do too much: “No, I think anytime you don’t play well, it starts with the coaches. It starts from me, then the offensive coaches, then the players as well all around him. We’ve got to make sure that he’s doing the right thing, and he makes sure he does the right thing. He studies the right way. We’ve got to execute better. Obviously, we’ve got to call plays better and we’ve got to game plan better, so it’s all-inclusive with the offensive line and the quarterback, the [wide] receivers and the running backs and the coaches.”
• Quarterback Baker Mayfield on frustrations regarding the Buccaneers’ offense: “[I’m] frustrated because it’s close. You can feel it. You can see it. We’re moving the ball at times, and then just shooting ourselves in the foot. So, that makes it more frustrating when you know you’re right there. Our group is more than capable of handling stuff like this, but we [have to] really be self-critical, look at the tape, get stuff fixed and [we] just can’t keep making the same mistakes over and over.”
• Tackle Tristan Wirfs on what limited the offense against Cleveland: “I thought we were moving the ball well – a couple drives stalled out with some penalties. They’re all post-snap penalties – guys are trying to play hard – there’s never a question of the effort in this room. I think everybody cares a lot and everybody feels sick about it.”
• Wide receiver Jalen McMillan on returning to action last week in a limited capacity and now being ready for more: “It felt so good, bro. Just being out so long had me in such a dump. I was just trying to get my mental right for this day and, yeah, it came and I’m healthy and I’m feeling good, so I’m ready.”
• Linebacker Alex Anzalone on whether the locker room believes they can dig themselves out of the 0-2 hole: “For sure, yeah. We’ve got the guys, we’ve got the right group. It’s just a matter of putting it together and in my experience, you hit adversity at different points in a season and we’re hitting it early and we’ll see where it goes. But this isn’t something that’s necessarily new to me. I’ve been in situations like this before, we just got to dig ourselves out of it.”