Buccaneers top Vikings 20-17 in home opener, as Baker Mayfield finishes strong in his debut
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MINNEAPOLIS — Baker Mayfield recovered from a rough start to throw two touchdown passes without a turnover in his Tampa Bay debut, and the Buccaneers opened the season by beating Minnesota 20-17 after three first-half turnovers by the Vikings on Sunday.
Chase McLaughlin matched his career long with a 57-yard field goal for the lead with 5:10 left, and the Buccaneers forced a three-and-out on each of Minnesota's last two possessions.
Mayfield, the first overall pick in the 2018 draft who landed with his fourth team in three years to take over for the retired Tom Brady, completed 21 of 34 passes after a 3-for-11 start.
He hit Mike Evans for a score right before halftime and was at his best down the stretch, hustling around right end to convert a third-and-2 around the three-minute mark at the Minnesota 39. Then, Chris Godwin made a stretched-out 11-yard catch on third-and-10 right after the 2-minute warning to clinch it.
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Kirk Cousins went 33 for 44 for 344 yards and touchdowns to rookie Jordan Addison and running back Alexander Mattison, and Justin Jefferson had nine catches for 150 yards. But after going an NFL-record 11-0 in one-score games during the 2022 regular season, the Vikings ran out of that late-game mojo.
Rookie Jay Ward was penalized for lining up in the neutral zone on a field goal try by McLaughlin that gave the Buccaneers a fresh set of downs to finish a drive that took almost nine minutes with a touchdown pass to rookie Trey Palmer.
More than half of Cousins' 273 yards passing in the first half went Jefferson, but the Vikings had to settle for a 10-all tie despite three times as much yardage as the Buccaneers.
Antoine Winfield Jr., whose father played nine seasons in Minnesota's secondary, hit Cousins on a front-side blitz and fell on his strip sack at the Vikings 30 to set up an early field goal for the Buccaneers despite a drive that netted zero yards.
The Buccaneers, with seven starters remaining from the 2020 Super Bowl champions and four first-round draft picks and four second-rounders in the lineup, have another stout defense. They sent just enough timely blitzes to keep the potent Minnesota offense from finding a groove.
CLOSER LOOK
Cousins has often said each turnover has its own story, and those first-half mistakes were complicated. His interception was thrown a bit behind K.J. Osborn, but rookie Christian Izien ripped the ball out of the receiver's hands at the goal line late in the second quarter. The first fumble in the first quarter at the Tampa Bay 25 was caused by friendly fire from right guard Ed Ingram, whose arm knocked the ball out as he blocked to his left.
RECEIVER RICHES
Evans and Jefferson have been eyeing contract extensions that didn't come together with their respective teams in time for the regular season.
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Evans went public with his demand for a new deal entering his 10th year, all with the Buccaneers, but appears headed for free agency next spring. The Vikings have less urgency around Jefferson with two seasons left on his rookie contract, but the NFL's reigning receiving leader made clear this week his camp has been driving a hard bargain for what is likely to be the richest deal for a player at his position.
BEST BUD
The Vikings honored former coach Bud Grant, who died earlier this year at age 95, with various tributes before the game and at halftime with about 30 of his former players on hand. Wearing a jersey patch with his signature on it this season, the Vikings donned their classic uniforms with the deeper purple hue, wider white numbering and gold trim accents they had during their 1970s heydays under Grant.
INJURY REPORT
Buccaneers: Their first two draft picks, DL Calijah Kancey (calf) and RG Cody Mauch (back), both made their debuts after being listed as questionable to play.
Vikings: C Garrett Bradbury (back) limped off during the second drive and didn't return, replaced by Austin Schlottman. ... LT Christian Darrisaw (ankle) missed some second-quarter snaps, but returned after halftime. ... OLB Marcus Davenport (ankle) was inactive after getting hurt in practice during the week.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host Chicago next Sunday.
Vikings: Visit Philadelphia on Thursday night. The Vikings lost 24-7 to the Eagles on the road in Week 2 last year in a Monday night game.
Vikings legends honored for their decade of dominance under Coach Bud Grant
This Sunday was a special Minnesota Vikings home opener. It was a time to remember the past, and the decade of dominance the Vikings gave Minnesota in the 60s and 70s.
Dozens of former Vikings players from that era came to the game. It's been 50 years since these players and teammates were on the sideline together, but it's as though no time has passed.
After home opener, Vikings' Alexander Mattison meets young fan who survived open heart surgery
FINAL: Buccaneers beat the Vikings 20-17
The Bucs claim the Vikings home opener with a final score of 20-17.
Bucs pull ahead with 5 minutes left
Chase McLaughlin sends it 57-yards for a field goal.
Buccaneers pull ahead 20-17 with five minutes left in the 4th quarter.
Grabbing the game by the horns
Alexander Mattison stays on his feet and drives into the endzone to bring the Vikings within one of the Bucs.
Greg Joseph secures the game at 17 with a field goal.
Darrisaw back on left tackle
Darrisaw has returned to the field.
Rookie helps Bucs to pull ahead of the Vikings
Baker Mayfield finds rookie Trey Palmer in the end zone for a touchdown.
Just before Tampa's touchdown drive, Vikings received a penalty for being off-sides.
This gave the Bucs a 5-yard advantage.
Bucs pull ahead of the Vikings 17-10.
Injury Updates: Vikings
Earlier, we reported that Darrisaw unexpectantly went to the medical tent for reasons unknown.
At halftime, his injuries do not seem to have been resolved.
Oli Udoh has replaced him on left tackle.
Bradbury is officially out for the rest of the game.
Stolen treasure
The Bucs swindle the ball away from the Vikings at the end of the half with a goal-line interception.
Christian Izien snags the ball right out of KJ Osborn's grasp.
Vikings and Bucs remain tied at ten at halftime.
"Jet"-Setting
Cousins and Jefferson are flying high.
After a few hiccups earlier in the game, #8 and #18 are finding each other again.
Jefferson has seven catches and 138-yards so far.
Bucs close the gap, game tied at the end of 2nd
Tampa Bay closes the gap between Minnesota, tying the game 10-10 against the Vikings at half.
Baker Mayfield finds Mike Evans and completes the pass for a 28-yard touchdown.
Before this drive, Mayfield was 3-11. On the drive, he was 3-4.
SKOL for ten
Vikings offense took a quarter to warm up, but now they're cooking.
Justin Jefferson has 5 catches so far, and Kirk Cousins touts 200 passing yards.
Vikings take the lead 10-3 in the 2nd quarter.
Welcome home, Addison
Viking's newcomer Jordan Addison wears the purple proudly as he scores the first touchdown of the game.
Vikings take the lead 7-3 in the 2nd quarter.
Bradbury, Darrisaw seek medical attention
As WCCO's Ren Clayton reports from X, Garrett Bradbury is questionable to return.
He also notes that Christian Darrisaw was seen headed to the medical tent, the reason being is unknown.
Bucs take an early 3-0 lead
Despite a strong push from the Viking's defense, the Bucs secure an early 3-0 lead by clutching a field goal.
Momentum swung for Tampa Bay when Antoine Winfield Jr regained control of the offense.
The first quarter ends with Tampa in the lead.
3-0.
The Evolution of Kirk Cousins
No pre-game jitters here
U.S. Bank Stadium is alight with fans excited for today's home opener.
WCCO's Marielle Mohs headed over to the tailgate lot and spoke with a few friends who arrived at 5 a.m. to start the party.
Ken and Kim Viking superfans and 25-year season ticket holders, and have a message for Tampa Bay.
It's #GriddyTime!
The fans aren't the only people ready for today's game.
Is this a preview of what's to come, Jetta?
Gameday Match-up: Vikings vs. Bucs
Watch the 10:30 a.m. pregame show, joined by actor Josh Duhamel
Forecast for the Vikings home opener
Big Vikings storylines to follow during 2023 season
The Minnesota Vikings are kicking off the regular season Sunday after an exciting 2022 season filled with comeback victories, gravity-defying catches, a couple of lopsided losses and a quick exit in playoffs.
But it's time to put last year to rest. It's a new year, the team has gone through some significant changes, and there are a lot of intriguing narratives.
[Click here for notable storylines]
How do the opening day starters look compared to 2022?
New year, new roster for the Minnesota Vikings.
While the offensive side of the ball has stayed largely the same — save for a couple of big changes — the defensive side has been almost completely overhauled. To really appreciate how much the team has changed, let's compare the 2022 opening day starters to the projected starters for 2023.
[Click here for the roster breakdown]
Addison, Evans, Oliver among Vikings worth keeping an eye on versus Buccaneers
The Minnesota Vikings begin their regular season at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Let's dive into some matchups that will determine Sunday's outcome.
[Click here for more]
How much does it truly cost to tailgate?
It's going to cost more to fire up the grill this year, but it's not stopping football fanatics from tailgating this fall.
In recent years, food costs have been climbing, making the pre-game fun more spendy. By the end of 2023, the price of food is expected to be up 5.9%. This summer though, food-at-home prices inflated the lowest year-to-year increase since Sept. 2021.
[Click here to read the full story.]
