Scott Smith: Baker Mayfield 15-Yard Scramble vs. 49ers

I have a strong feeling that all three of us would have this play at the top of the list, so I’m fortunate that our rotation gave me the first pick this week. Why, it’s almost like I planned it this way from the start! No, I would never do that.

Before we get to it, let’s rewind to 2024, when Baker Mayfield made one of the most remarkable plays I’ve ever seen from a quarterback. Facing the San Francisco 49ers with his team down by three points and the clock showing less than two minutes left in regulation, Mayfield dropped back on a do-or-die fourth-and-seven from his own 37. He was pressured immediately by Nick Bosa but was able to hold the star edge-rusher at bay with a stiff-arm…and then he just kept stiff-arming Bosa for approximately 15 horizontal yards while keeping his throwing arm free and his feet underneath him. As he neared the sideline, Mayfield somehow got off a lob that went over another 49ers defender and reached Rachaad White one yards past the line to gain. The Bucs would go on to tie the game at 20-20 with 41 seconds left on a Chase McLaughlin field goal.

Unfortunately, the 49ers used those remaining seconds to get in position for their own field goal, this one a game-winner as time expired. Mayfield’s fourth-down play was probably the most remarkable one made all season by a Buccaneers player, but it was impossible to fully celebrate it as a top moment of the 2024 season because of the game’s final outcome.

Well, no such problem this time around! My choice for the Buccaneers’ most exciting play of the 2025 season again involved Mayfield pulling off what seemed impossible to get a crucial first down in the second half of a tight game against the 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. And this time the Bucs won the game.

You remember the play. The Bucs were clinging to a 20-19 lead in the third quarter but the visitors had all the momentum. It was third-and-14 from Tampa Bay’s 41, and once again Mayfield was quickly pressured by the 49ers’ pass rush. In this case, two defenders appeared to have him down all the way back at the 29. Somehow, Mayfield escaped and began a mad dash up the field and to the right. Technically, he needed 14 yards for a first down, but in reality he was 26 yards away from the sticks when he escaped the near-sack. He then ran around one defender, fought his way through another and as he was finally going down, he managed to extend his arm forward to put the ball past the line to gain just before he hit the ground.

All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs could only watch in amazement.

“I actually got him hit on that third-and-14, and he got out of it,” said Wirfs. “I was like, ‘Holy crap!’ And then [to] watch him go and pick up 15 yards and stretch for a first down… To watch Baker go to work every week is incredible. We love him to death. We love Baker. He is a dawg – I say it week-in and week-out. Him putting us on his back every week and doing his thing is incredible to watch.”

Two plays later, Mayfield hit Tez Johnson on a 45-yard touchdown pass and the “MVP!” chants at Raymond James Stadium lingered for minutes. The Bucs would go on to win, 30-19.

Brianna Dix: Emeka Egbuka’s 77-Yard Touchdown vs. Eagles

There are many plays I debated naming for this prompt. I nearly chose Baker Mayfield’s 11-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard in Week Five at Seattle given the challenging nature of the play. Mayfield rolled to the left to buy time and Shepard continued working inside after the fade. As he broke inside, Mayfield had the ball on his chest. He made one of the most difficult throws you will see a right-handed quarterback make – across the chest, off-platform while running laterally. While that play was “exciting” for me given the nature and nuance of it, I understand for most fans, other moments would usurp that one in their mental archives. So, I decided to go with rookie Emeka Egbuka’s 77-yard touchdown catch against the Eagles in Week Four.

In that outing, the Buccaneers got off to a slow start at Raymond James Stadium. The Eagles found success at rotating safeties and disguising shell coverage (two safeties deep), while blanketing in coverage. Down 24-6 in the third frame, Tampa Bay needed an offensive spark.