A short-handed Bucs team — missing 12 starters and another 10 injured players — continued the preseason on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium, playing a much better game than last week. There were fewer missed tackles, fewer penalties and more big plays. The result? A 13-6 win over the Jets that evened Tampa Bay’s preseason record at 1-1.

Kyle Trask got the start for Tampa Bay after Baker Mayfield opened last week’s game. The Jets and Bucs traded punts until the second Jake Camarda punt was returned 31 yards by Xavier Gipson. That set New York up with great field position in Tampa Bay territory.

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: USA Today

Zach Wilson picked up two third downs to get the Jets inside the red zone, but a holding penalty killed the drive. Back-to-back stops by Dee Delaney, who got the start at nickel cornerback, and a combined tackle for K.J. Britt and Keenan Isaac forced a field goal try, but not before the first quarter came to a scoreless end. Greg Zuerlein then opened up the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal, giving the hosts a 3-0 lead.

Tampa Bay went three-and-out again on its next possession, but the defense came through and picked up its counterparts. J.J. Russell, who had an interception in the preseason opener last week, forced a fumble that Anthony Nelson recovered.

Trask opened the next drive from the Jets’ 46, and he shook a defender to pick up six yards on the ground to get things started. A 10-yard pass to Ke’Shawn Vaughn and a nine-yarder to Deven Thompkins got Tampa Bay in scoring position, but a negative run by Vaughn on 2nd & 7 killed the drive. But the Bucs did tie the game at 3-3, thanks to a 35-yard field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship.

Two big plays got the Jets offense going on its ensuing possession. Wilson connected with Jason Brownlee for 26 yards before scrambling for a 35-yard gain of his own. That had New York just outside the red zone, but Tampa Bay’s defense buckled down from there and forced a 38-yard field goal by Zuerlein, which gave the lead back to the hosts. With 6:10 left in the first half, the Jets had themselves a 6-3 lead.

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo by: USA Today

Trask converted one third down on the next drive with a completion to David Moore, then rookie Sean Tucker got loose on a 4th & 1 for a 27-yard run. On the other side of the two-minute warning, Kyle Trask linked up with Trey Palmer for a 32-yard touchdown, with Palmer managing to tip the ball up to himself in the end zone. That gave the Bucs a 10-6 lead with 1:53 left before halftime.

Out of halftime, Tim Boyle took over at quarterback for the Jets. New York ran the ball right down the field on Tampa Bay, getting to an eventual 1st & Goal. But on the next play, a big hit by Keenan Isaac knocked the ball loose and Dee Delaney came up with a big red zone interception to keep New York out of the end zone.

John Wolford replaced Trask to open the second half for the Bucs offense, officially signaling that Baker Mayfield would have the night off. Wolford began by throwing the ball all over the field, hitting Rakim Jarrett for gains of 21 and 27 yards. The offense got as far as New York’s 25, but penalties set the drive back and led to a missed 55-yard field goal by Blankenship. As a result, Tampa Bay’s lead remained 10-6.

New York looked to take advantage of the missed field goal, driving down into the red zone again. But a penalty killed the drive and Zuerlein went on to miss a 40-yard field goal to keep the game at 10-6 with 1:16 left in the third quarter.

The next drive began with a scary moment, as Wolford was sacked and driven hard into the turf. He stayed down and had to be stretchered and carted off, though he gave a thumbs up on his way off the field. It was later confirmed that he has a neck injury and was taken to a local hospital. That led to Trask reentering the game as the third quarter came to an end.

Bucs RB Sean Tucker – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs ate up some clock early in the fourth quarter before extending their lead to 13-6, with Chase McLaughlin connecting on a 48-yard field goal.

Blankenship later missed a second field goal, with his kick going off the upright from 32 yards out. Tampa Bay’s defense got two more stops to close out the 13-6 win.

Kyle Trask overcame some shaky offensive line play and a few wide receiver drops to finish 20-of-28 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Wolford was 4-of-4 for 57 yards before leaving with a neck injury.

Trey Palmer made another strong impression with another touchdown catch, while Sean Tucker announced his presence to the tune of 37 yards on seven carries and three catches for 18 yards. Rakim Jarrett had a very good debut, catching three catches for 84 yards, averaging 28 yards per catch.

Dee Delaney had a standout game, racking up a team-high seven tackles (five solo) and an interception. Tampa Bay didn’t get to the quarterback on the night, but Markees Watts was a force to be reckoned with. The rookie drew two holding penalties and had a number of impressive rushes. Late in the game, Cam Gill forced a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Chesley. That made it three turnovers forced by the Tampa Bay defense.

The defense collectively shored up its tackling in a big way, and perhaps the biggest improvement was that the team as a whole cut down on penalties as well. Most of the penalties came later in the game as the Bucs were flagged seven times for 67 yards after totaling 12 for 127 yards last week.

The Bucs will wrap up their preseason slate next Saturday, hosting the Ravens at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.