Live updates: Bucs rout Jaguars, near division title and playoff berth (2024)

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What appeared, on paper, to be the Bucs’ biggest challenge over the final month of the season might wind up being their easiest.

The Jaguars, 8-3 and well ahead of the pack in the AFC South just four weeks ago, were no match for the Buccaneers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, falling 30-12 for their fourth consecutive loss.

With their fourth straight win, the Bucs (8-7) stayed a game ahead of the Saints (7-8) and Falcons (7-8) in the NFC South. With tiebreaker advantages over both teams, Tampa Bay can guarantee a third straight division championship and the automatic playoff berth that comes with it by winning either of its two remaining games.

The Jaguars (8-7), meanwhile, remained in a tie atop their division with the Colts (8-7) and Texans (8-7), who also lost Sunday. Jacksonville holds tiebreaker advantages over both teams.

Antoine Winfield Jr. had a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery to lead a Bucs defense that forced four turnovers and had four sacks. Devin White had an interception and ½-sack. YaYa Diaby had 1½ sacks, in addition to forcing and recovering a fumble. Lavonte David had a team-leading eight tackles and a sack.

Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes to Mike Evans, and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals for a Bucs offense that, aside from a kneeldown at halftime, scored on every possession of the first three quarters.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who didn’t clear concussion protocol until Saturday, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble before being replaced by C.J. Beathard early in the fourth quarter after sustaining a shoulder injury.

The Bucs jumped out to a 30-0 lead before the Jaguars finally got on the scoreboard on Lawrence’s 18-yard scoring pass to Calvin Ridley in the final minute of the third quarter.

Mayfield completed 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Evans caught seven passes for 86 yards and the two scores. Chris Godwin had seven receptions for 78 yards.

The Bucs didn’t even need their running game, as Rachaad White was limited to 39 yards on 20 carries. Chase Edmonds picked up 25 yards on 10 attempts.

Mayfield connected with Evans on a 3-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter to give Tampa Bay a 10-0 lead after White intercepted Lawrence in Tampa Bay territory and returned the ball to near midfield.

Winfield’s interception late in the second quarter set up a 22-yard scoring pass from Mayfield to Evans that put the Bucs ahead 20-0.

Diaby then forced and recovered a Lawrence fumble at the start of the third quarter, setting up a 2-yard Rachaad White touchdown run that upped Tampa Bay’s advantage to 27-0.

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McLaughlin was accurate from 24 yards on Tampa Bay’s opening possession, capping a 69-yard drive.

He added field goals of 31 yards late in the second quarter and 51 yards late in the third.

Ridley’s second touchdown reception, 1 yard from Beathard, made it 30-12 with 4:36 to play.

Here’s how it happened.

A turnover by any other name

It wasn’t a fourth turnover, but it might as well have been.

Trailing by 27 with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Jaguars went for a first down on fourth and 8 from the Bucs 35.

A delay of game penalty increased the degree of difficulty, making it fourth and 13 from the 40.

Trevor Lawrence, who fumbled once and was intercepted twice earlier in the game, threw incomplete for Jamal Agnew down the left sideline, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Bucs gained possession of the ball at their 40.

Baker Mayfield converted third downs with passes of 15 yards to Chris Godwin and 3 yards to Rachaad White, moving the ball to the Jaguars 33.

But three more plays netted zero yards, and Tampa Bay had to settle for a 51-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal and 30-0 lead with 3:49 left in the third quarter.

Seizing control

A relentless Bucs defense forced a third Jaguars turnover on Jacksonville’s opening possession of the second half.

For the third time in the game, it set up a Tampa Bay touchdown.

YaYa Diaby sacked Trevor Lawrence, forcing and recovering a fumble at the Jaguars 37.

Two plays later, a 6-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to Trey Palmer on third and 6 gave Tampa Bay a first down at the 27.

Mayfield then threw deep for tight end Payne Durham, resulting in a 25-yard gain to the 2.

Rachaad White picked up the remaining yards up the middle on the following play, upping the Bucs’ advantage to 27-0 with 11:30 to play in the third quarter.

Playing takeaway

The Bucs intercepted Trevor Lawrence for the second time late in the first half, and for the second time it set up a Tampa Bay touchdown.

Antoine Winfield Jr. picked off a Lawrence pass for Evan Engram at the Tampa Bay 35 with 1:34 remaining in the second quarter.

Seven plays and six Baker Mayfield completions later, the Bucs were in the end zone.

Mayfield passes of 6 yards to Chris Godwin and 11 to Mike Evans picked up a pair of first downs, quickly moving the ball to the Jacksonville 43.

After a false start penalty against Luke Goedeke pushed the Bucs back 5 yards to the 48, Mayfield threw incomplete for Godwin before finding Trey Palmer near the left sideline for 9 yards, making it third and 5.

Mayfield connected with Evans on a slant pass, picking up 16 yards and a first down at the 22. He went over the top on the next play, hitting Evans on a skinny post for a touchdown that put the Bucs ahead 20-0 with 45 seconds remaining in the half.

Adding on

Taking advantage of a short field late in the second quarter following a Jaguars missed field goal, the Bucs tacked on three points of their own.

Rachaad White got things started, taking a short Baker Mayfield pass 16 yards to the Jacksonville 39.

However, three plays netted just 5 yards, and Tampa Bay faced fourth and 5 from the 34.

It appeared the Jaguars defense would get off the field when Mayfield threw incomplete for Mike Evans in the end zone. But safety Andre Cisco was penalized for roughing the passer, giving the Bucs a first down at the 19.

They didn’t get much closer.

Two White runs resulted in a loss of a yard, and a Mayfield pass to Cade Otton was 4 yards short of the sticks, setting up fourth and 4.

Tampa Bay opted to go for the field goal, and Chase McLaughlin’s 31-yard kick extended the Bucs’ lead to 13-0 with 2:26 remaining in the half.

Missed opportunity

The Jaguars offense seemed to be spinning its wheels on its second possession, as a sack and 6-yard completion put them in a third-and-12 situation from their 35.

But Trevor Lawrence found Elijah Cooks over the middle for 23 yards and a first down at the Bucs 42.

Three plays later, Cooks took a short Lawrence pass 13 yards to the 26.

But after Calvin Ridley was dropped for a 12-yard loss around right end, Jacksonville again found itself playing well behind the sticks, facing second and 22, and then third and 20.

A Lawrence pass to Cooks picked up only 3 yards, and the Jaguars brought the field-goal unit onto the field.

Brandon McManus’ 52-yard attempt into a heavy crosswind was wide right, preserving the Bucs’ 10-point lead and giving them possession at their 42 with 6:20 to play in the second quarter.

Down and out

Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis was down on the field after tackling Travis Etienne following a 6-yard reception with 11:26 remaining in the second quarter.

Davis left under his own power and went into the tent. He later left for the locker room for further evaluation for a head injury and eventually was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Taking advantage

The Bucs defense allowed only one first down on the Jaguars’ opening possession before forcing a turnover.

Tampa Bay’s offense quickly turned it into seven points.

Linebacker Devin White undercut a dig route and intercepted Trevor Lawrence’s pass for Parker Washington on third and 15 from the Tampa Bay 47.

White picked off the ball at the 34 and returned it 10 yards to the 44.

The Bucs didn’t waste time taking advantage.

After Chase Edmonds ran for 6 yards, Baker Mayfield connected with Mike Evans on consecutive throws, picking up 24 yards and a pair of first downs, moving the ball to the Jacksonville 26.

David Moore then took a short pass 7 yards to the 19. Edmonds was stopped for no gain, making it third and 3.

Mayfield spun out of a couple of tackles behind the line of scrimmage before finally being brought down following a 1-yard gain.

The Bucs went for it on fourth and 2 from the 18. Mayfield pitched left to Rachaad White, who avoided a tackle on his way to a 4-yard gain to the 14.

White then picked up 4 more yards to the 10 before Mayfield threw incomplete for Chris Godwin, setting up third and 6. Mayfield scrambled up the middle for 7 yards and a first down, powering through two defenders to the 3.

One play later, he found a wide-open Evans in the end zone for a touchdown that put the Bucs ahead 10-0 with 12:53 left in the second quarter.

Balanced attack

The Bucs showed great balance their first time with the ball, running and throwing it six times on a 69-yard drive that resulted in a game-opening field goal.

Baker Mayfield was 5 of 6 for 59 yards, and Rachaad White carried five times for 14 yards.

Starting from the Tampa Bay 25, Trey Palmer took a short pass from Mayfield 8 yards to the 33. Mayfield was sacked by Roy Robertson-Harris for a loss of 5 on the next play, setting up third and 7.

Mayfield went back to Palmer over the middle, and he took the ball 18 yards to the 46 for a first down.

White picked up 5 yards to the Jaguars 49 on his first carry of the game. After a Chris Godwin reception gained only a yard, the Bucs faced third and 5. But Mayfield threw out to White near the right sideline, and the back lunged ahead for a first down at the 44.

Two plays later, Tampa Bay faced third an 7 from the 41. Mayfield hit Godwin near the right sideline for 22 yards and a first down at the 19.

White then powered his way for 10 yards to the 9. He lost 3 yards on the next play, pushing the Bucs back to the 12. A swing pass to White picked up 6 yards, making it third and goal from the 6.

Mayfield’s pass over the middle for Godwin was batted down at the line of scrimmage, and Tampa Bay was forced to settle for a 24-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal and 3-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first quarter.

Surging Bucs, reeling Jags control fates

Tampa Bay has won three straight games, and Jacksonville has lost three in a row.

Like the Bucs, though, the Jaguars control their own destiny as the teams seek division titles and playoff berths.

The Bucs (7-7) sit atop the NFC South, ½-game ahead of the the New Orleans Saints (7-8) and Falcons (7-8). The reeling Jaguars (8-6) lead Houston (8-7) and Indianapolis (8-7) by ½-game in the AFC South but hold divisional tiebreaker advantages and can control their fate with a strong finish.

“There is no room for errors at this point,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “We talked about doing the little things right. You don’t have to do anything too special if you do the little things right. You can’t have those simple stupid mistakes that cost teams games.”

After a 3-1 start to the season, the Bucs lost four straight — six of seven overall — before rebounding to climb back into a position to win a third straight NFC South title.

After hosting Jacksonville today, they’ll finish the regular season with division matchups against the Saints at home and Carolina on the road.

“You’ve got to focus on what you can control,” said Mayfield, who’s coming off throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in last week’s 34-20 win at Green Bay. The sixth-year pro, who’s with his fourth team in less than two years, posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

“We’ve won three in a row now. But we have to handle it how we need to, be professionals about it. This singular game mentality can’t change,” Mayfield said. “The approach that we’ve had the last few weeks needs to be the same. That will get us to the place we want to go.”

A month ago, the Jaguars were in the running for the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. Consecutive losses to Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore not only dropped them into a tie with the Texans and Colts, but another stumble down the stretch could undermine their postseason hopes.

Jacksonville’s situation is precarious, too, because of the uncertain status of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 draft didn’t clear the NFL’s concussion protocol until Saturday.

“It’s figuring out how to win a game right now. Everybody has to pay attention to their job and just do whatever they’re asked to do, coaches and players,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said.

“I don’t know if you ever want to feel desperate. I think you’ve got to feel a sense of urgency, you’ve got to feel your back is against the wall a little bit. It’s just time to go play. I don’t think you ever want to feel desperate, because then you do things out of character.”

The Jaguars will be without two of their top three receivers. Christian Kirk (groin) and Zay Jones (hamstring/knee) will miss the game, leaving fellow wideout Calvin Ridley and tight end Evan Engram to pick up the slack against the Bucs.

— FRED GOODALL and MARK LONG, Associated Press

Who’s in/who’s out

Stadium scene

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A little light reading

Here’s some of our content leading up to today’s game:

Chris Godwin’s move back to slot receiver pays off for Bucs

Trevor Lawrence clears concussion protocol, expected to start vs. Bucs

Now, more than ever, Bucs fans should applaud Lavonte David’s excellence

Has Baker Mayfield done enough to deserve a new contract with Bucs?

Wondering what Bucs need to do to make the playoffs? Here’s the answer

Bucs’ Antoine Winfield Jr. questionable for game against Jaguars

How David Moore finally found the end zone with the Bucs

Emotional Dave Canales says he wants to prove Bucs, Todd Bowles right

How Bucs plan to alternate Devin White and K.J. Britt at linebacker

Former Bucs star Mike Williams died of bacterial sepsis, records show

Bucs’ Devin White says he didn’t balk at rotational role vs. Packers

NFL reviewing Bucs’ injury report on Devin White before Packers game

NFL recognizes Bucs QB Baker Mayfield’s historic day at Lambeau Field

Has 2023 Baker Mayfield outplayed 2022 Tom Brady for the Bucs?

The Devin White story: From bouquets and bubbly to mystery and sorrow

What’s Devin White’s role with the Bucs moving forward?

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