Bucs DT Vita Vea and 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game.

Tampa Bay stunned the Seahawks in Seattle with a 38-35 victory to improve to 4-1 on the season. Baker Mayfield was nearly perfect for the Bucs offense, which saw rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka shine in his homecoming game, finishing with a career-high seven catches for 163 yards and a key touchdown and two-point conversion. Todd Bowles’ defense surrendered four second-half touchdowns and had trouble stopping Seattle QB Sam Darnold until Lavonte David picked him off to set up Chase McLaughlin’s game-winning field goal.

2 BIG STATEMENTS


STATEMENT 1. It’s Time For The Bucs To Beat The 49ers

You probably want to read about the Bucs’ epic 38-35 win over the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday. And I’ll get to that in a moment.

But first, I’m going to pretend I’m in the NFL, where coaches and players have the 24-hour rule, which means basically one day to savor a victory and then it’s on to the next game.

So let’s talk about Week 6 when San Francisco comes to town and the Bucs play the 49ers for the fourth straight year. After suffering three straight losses, including the first two out in San Francisco, it’s time for Tampa Bay to rise up and finally beat the 49ers. It’s time for Todd Bowles to outcoach his nemesis Kyle Shanahan.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan – Photo by: USA Today

The win over the Seahawks, who seem like a rising power in the NFC West, was nice. But a win over the 49ers, a team that has been to two Super Bowls over the past seven seasons, including a recent appearance three years ago, would make an even bigger statement. If Tampa Bay wants to get to the Super Bowl, it needs to beat a team that is typically a perennial Super Bowl contender like San Francisco. The 49ers have four double-digit winning seasons out of the previous six years, including three NFC West titles.

Yet each San Francisco win over Tampa Bay has gotten more narrow each year. After trouncing Tom Brady and the Bucs, 35-7, at Levi’s Stadium in 2022, Baker Mayfield and Co. lost a hard-fought game, 27-14, there the next year. Last season, the Bucs nearly beat the 49ers in Tampa Bay without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at Mayfield’s disposal, losing 23-20 with a game-winning walk-off field goal by the 49ers as time expired.

Will this be the year that the Bucs finally beat the 49ers?

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A win over 4-1 San Francisco would not only prove that Tampa Bay belongs in the conversation among the elite teams in the NFC this year, but would also help out with playoff seeding come January with a head-to-head win versus the 49ers.

Like the Bucs, the 49ers have weathered an early season storm of injuries. San Francisco just went on the road on Thursday and beat the Rams, 23-20, behind backup quarterback Mac Jones, who could be starting once again in place of Brock Purdy on Sunday in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs won’t have defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for this game, as he’s out for the season. The 49ers’ top pass rusher, defensive end Nick Bosa, is also out for the season, and San Francisco no longer has Deebo Samuel at wide receiver, as he has been a thorn in Tampa Bay’s side for several years.

Both San Francisco and Tampa Bay are really banged up, but have the cavalry coming later this year. The 49ers will get Purdy back soon – perhaps on Sunday – and Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle’s return is also a few weeks away. San Francisco hopes to get star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk back for a late-season playoff push, too.

The Bucs are a few weeks away from the return of four starters in wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Bucky Irving, right tackle Luke Goedeke and cornerback Jamel Dean. In December, Tampa Bay expects wide receiver Jalen McMillan to return from a serious neck strain, too.

The Buccaneers’ second half effort against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles was valiant in a close loss in Week 4. Tampa Bay’s shootout win against a playoff-caliber Seattle team was certainly nice in Week 5.

But there is a chance that the Bucs and 49ers will play each other twice this year – once in Week 6 and again in the playoffs. Mayfield and Co. gaining the confidence that they can beat San Francisco prior to the postseason with a win in Tampa Bay on Sunday would be huge.

Losing four straight to the 49ers and possibly having to have the rematch take place in San Francisco in January would certainly be less than ideal.


STATEMENT 2. Emeka Egbuka Is The Future At WR In Tampa Bay, But Also The Present

The Bucs were thrilled to select wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with their first-round draft pick this year, as he was clearly the highest-rated player on their draft board at the time. With the start of Chris Godwin’s 2025 season up in the air back in April, general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles made a strategic move to draft Egbuka, whom the front office described as a “Chris Godwin clone.”

Egbuka, Ohio State’s all-time leading receiver with 205 catches for 2,858 yards and 24 touchdowns, was expected to be a future force at wide receiver – an eventual starter who might replace the 32-year old Mike Evans or the 29-year old Godwin at some point. As a rookie, Egbuka would help out early in the season while Godwin eased back into the lineup, and challenge Jalen McMillan for snaps as the team’s No. 3 with both Evans and Godwin on the field together.

Instead, Egbuka has taken Tampa Bay – and the NFL – by storm. After catching the game-winning touchdown in his NFL debut in a Week 1 win at Atlanta, Egbuka has continued to rack up catches, yards and touchdowns.

I said repeatedly that Egbuka had the second-best training camp of any offensive player behind only Evans this summer, and that the Buckeyes star was the best rookie receiver in Tampa Bay history.

Even better than Evans’ rookie season in 2014, and certainly better than Godwin’s rookie campaign in 2017.

Egbuka posted his first 100-yard game last week against the Eagles thanks in part to a career-long 77-yard touchdown catch. Making a return home to his native Washington state on Sunday in Seattle, Egbuka caught all seven of his targets for a career-high 163 yards and a touchdown and a key two-point conversion.

With 25 catches for 445 yards (17.8 avg) and five touchdowns through five games, Egbuka is in rarefied air. No other receiver has had such a hot start to an NFL career before.

Egbuka is on pace for an astonishing 85 receptions for 1,513 yards and 17 touchdowns during his rookie campaign. That would be better than any season Evans or Godwin has had in Tampa Bay. Not bad for a guy that was essentially drafted to be a future starter.

Egbuka isn’t just the future at wide receiver for the Buccaneers. He’s also become the team’s present – an unexpected star receiver as a rookie.

Bowles continues to be impressed with Egbuka’s hot start in Tampa Bay.

“Just humble, his willingness to learn,” Bowles said. “Very good teammate, very smart guy. Class act. He’s as sharp off the field, if not sharper, than he is on the field. As a person, he’s easy to talk to. His thirst for knowledge of the game is unbelievable. He’s just a great guy to be around.”

Just wait until Evans, Godwin and Egbuka are all on the field together in a few weeks, tormenting opposing secondaries and defensive coordinators and giving quarterback Baker Mayfield plenty of dangerous options to throw to.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. Where Was The Bucs’ Pass Rush In Seattle?

The Bucs’ pass rush was missing in action on Sunday. Tampa Bay’s defensive front had a hard time putting pressure on Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold. I have not had the chance to go back and review all of the tape, just some select plays thus far. Pro Football Focus made defensive tackle Vita Vea the second-highest graded defensive player with a 67.7 grade, including an 89.9 pass rush grade. That’s quite something considering that Vea only tallied two pressures – no sacks, no QB hits nor any tackles, either.

PFF had the Bucs down for 16 pressures on defense, which would mean that Darnold was pressured on nearly half of his 34 dropbacks. Did you see Darnold get pressured that much? I didn’t either. PFF can get quite liberal with the pressures they dole out and I saw Darnold hardly get pressured at all throughout the game.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

The times that stood out to me were the Logan Hall “roughing the passer” penalty when he hit Hall a split second too late – albeit gently – the missed sack collaboration by Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby on Darnold’s successful fourth down throw on Seattle’s final touchdown drive, and the pressure applied by a blitzing Antoine Winfield Jr. that led to Lavonte David’s interception.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles suggested that the ball was getting out quick and that there were some max protection throws. That could be credible, but it also kind of sounds like an excuse. Simply put, no one was quickly winning up front cleanly and Darnold had a lot of time to throw, as his 82.4% completion percentage suggests.

Bowles likely didn’t blitz much because he wanted safety help for rookie Jacob Parrish and Kindle Vildor. But without the blitz, the Bucs’ front four has been disappointing this year in terms of getting hits on quarterback – let alone getting them to the ground.

QUESTION 2. What Is Going On With Tampa Bay’s Special Teams?

I don’t know, but it sure is frustrating to watch. First it was a blocked punt, then a blocked field goal, then another blocked kick. Now all of a sudden the Bucs can’t cover kicks and let Seattle start at or near midfield twice on second half touchdown drives — and once late in the first half.

Special teams is truly maddening this year. If it’s not one thing, it’s another for special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. If the gaffes continue – and they cost the Bucs a game later this season – Todd Bowles will need to relieve McGaughey of his duties at some point, whether it’s down the road or in the 2026 offseason.

Bucs special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Credit Riley Dixon for not only bouncing back on Sunday and downing his lone second half punt at the 1-yard line, but also having the wherewithal to recognize he only had 10 members of the punt team on the field, including himself. Dixon then signaled to the sidelines that he needed an additional blocker and Sean Tucker came racing out onto the field. Tucker may not have realized that his replacement, Josh Williams, was being evaluated for a concussion at the time.

Had the Bucs gotten another punt blocked – this time due to only having 10 players on the field – McGaughey might have had to find another ride home from Seattle if Tampa Bay had lost that game in that manner.

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1. Bucs Beat The 49ers

The Bucs have been inching closer to beating the 49ers in each of the last three seasons. This is the year they get that done. Tampa Bay has proven it can win close games this year – unlike a year where San Francisco edged the Bucs on a last-second, game-winning field goal to get a victory at Raymond James Stadium, 23-20.

Bucs DT Greg Gaines and 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs will have to prepare for two quarterbacks this week because Brock Purdy could be returning from injury, or the 49ers could stick with the hot hand in backup Mac Jones, who is fresh off a Thursday Night Football win in Los Angeles against the Rams. A lot of Bucs players have had this game circled on the schedule for awhile.

Tampa Bay improves to 5-1 and gets another key win over an NFC playoff-caliber team. This victory will pay some dividends when it comes to playoff seeding in January.

PREDICTION 2. Emeka Egbuka Breaks Mike Evans’ Bucs TD Record

To be clear, I’m suggesting that star receiver Emeka Egbuka breaks Mike Evans’ rookie receiving touchdown record of 12 TDs, which was set in 2014. Egbuka already has five touchdowns in five games and is on pace for 17 this season. He’s already shown that he can score multiple touchdowns in a game, dating back to his Bucs debut in Atlanta where he had two, including the game-winner.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Egbuka only needs seven more touchdowns in the next 12 games to tie Evans’ mark, and just eight more to reach 13 TDs and break that record. I think he does it. Egbuka has already earned the trust of Baker Mayfield and that’s not going to change – even with Evans’ return from a hamstring injury in a week or two.

I also wouldn’t rule out Egbuka threatening Evans’ single-season TD catch record of 14, which was set in 2021. But first things first – Evans’ rookie record will fall this year.