TAMPA, Fla. – It only took Baker Mayfield one series to show the Tampa Bay Buccaneers everything they wanted to see from him in a preseason-closing 24-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Friday night.
The 29-year-old quarterback who resurrected his career while leading the Bucs to the playoffs last season moved his team 70 yards in seven plays after the opening kickoff, setting up Rachaad White's 4-yard touchdown run with a 28-yard completion to rookie Jalen McMillan.
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Mayfield, who sat out Tampa Bay's first two preseason games, went 3 for 3 for 54 yards before taking the rest of the night off as both teams used most of the game to get an extended look at young players still battling for jobs.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles didn't specify how much he intended to play his starters in the finale, saying in the days leading up to the game: “I'll get them out when it's time to get them out.”
Mayfield set the tone with the opening drive, and the top defense forced a “three-and-out” on the lone series it played.
“It's good they were ready to play," Bowles said. “They wanted to play longer, but I had seen enough.” Mayfield called the offense's performance ”extremely efficient."
“Our guys were locked in, exactly what the coach asked of them,” the quarterback said. “We need to be efficient and start fast, not wait to get hit in the mouth and then figure things out.”
Like Mayfield, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played one series this preaseason after leading the NFL in passing yardage in 2023. The fifth-year pro, who signed a four-year, $212 million extension in the offseason, completed all five of his passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in Miami's second preseason outing.
Mayfield, a Pro Bowl selection for the first time last season, was playing for the first time since signing a three-year $100 million contract. He played in 2023 on a one-year, $4 million deal, throwing for a personal-best 4,044 yards and 28 TDs to help Tampa Bay win a third consecutive NFC South title.
Miami receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both sat out the preseason finale with injuries that limited them to individual work while the Dolphins and Bucs held a joint practice at Tampa Bay's training facility earlier in the week.
Mike White and Skylar Thompson split time at quarterback for the Dolphins, while Kyle Trask followed Mayfield and played the remainder of the game for Tampa Bay.
Thompson threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Hayden Rucci and 1 yard to Kyric McGowan, finishing 19 of 27 for 190 yards, two TDs and a fourth-quarter interception.
Trask went 17 of 24 for 141 yards without an interception, including TDs of 10 yards to Ryan Miller and 2 yards to Tanner Knue.
The teams now will turn their attention to trimming the roster for the regular season, with Bowles and Dolphins Mike McDaniel each facing what they say will be some difficult decisions.
“There are things that (Dolphins general manager Chris Grier) and I will talk about across the board just because we’re always open minded to what makes the Dolphins the best,” McDaniel said. “You have to watch the tape and sit down with all your coaching staff, Chris and his department and iron those things out because there’s a lot of tough competition.”
INJURIES
Miami receiver Anthony Schwartz was helped off the field in the second quarter with what appeared to be a left knee injury.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: Open the regular season at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 8.
Buccaneers: Host rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the No. 2 overall draft pick's pro debut Sept. 8.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl