Emeka Egbuka proves he's the 'real deal' in season opener There was plenty of madness. Eight snaps on defense from inside their own 5-yard line nearly broke them. Replay reviews stalled them. Missed kicks and a blown lead haunted them. But when the game was on the line against the Falcons, Baker Mayfield kept it simple. He played catch with Emeka Egbuka. The Ohio State rookie who Mayfield swore was special proved it on Sunday. Egbuka caught two touchdown passes, including a 25-yarder that allowed the Bucs to retake the lead with 59 seconds remaining in a 23-20 win over the Falcons. "I told you guys, it wasn't a front," Mayfield said of Egbuka, who finished with four catches for 67 yards. "You guys saw it live today in person. He's the real deal. A true professional. "He doesn't play like a rookie. He doesn't act like a rookie. His head is never spinning. He made some unbelievable catches and plays for us today for us and obviously, we're going to continue to lean on him." Of course, they never should have flirted with overtime. Usually-reliable kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 44-yard field goal and the PAT on Egbuka's second touchdown that would have given the Bucs a four-point lead. Behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons had a chance to tie the score, but placekicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal, wide right, that would have sent the game into OT. Afterward, Todd Bowles bit back his words when describing what he thought when McLaughlin missed the PAT. "I'm not going to cuss here at the podium," Bowles said. "But I was pissed to say the least. That's putting it nicely. But you fight through those things and you've got to overcome some things the first game of the season." A year ago, the Bucs lost twice to the Falcons, including at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in overtime. But as season openers go, this one had a little bit of everything, including Penix rallying the Falcons time and time again. The former Tampa Bay Tech star passed for 298 yards and a touchdown while running for another score that put the Falcons ahead with 2:17 remaining in the game. On the other hand, Mayfield didn't play his best game, passing for only 167 yards but throwing three TDs. He also was the Bucs' leading rusher with 39 yards on five key scrambles. "(Egbuka) played with so much poise and Baker played with so much poise," Bowles said. "He had some key runs. Obviously, the stat sheet didn't light up for him, but managing and winning the game and doing what he had to do to win and keeping everything that way, I'm proud of both of them." Consider, too, that the Bucs surprised everyone by starting a makeshift offensive line they had hidden for several weeks. With Tristan Wirfs expected to miss as much as a month recovering from knee surgery, backup Charlie Heck had started every preseason game and took first-team reps in practice. But Sunday, they moved center Graham Barton to left tackle, a position he played three seasons at Duke. Ben Bredeson shifted from left guard to center and Michael Jordan, elevated from the practice squad Saturday, started at left guard. "You guys didn't know that," Mayfield told reporters. "Ha. The joke's on you." But Mayfield made no secret of how special he believed Egbuka was almost from the day he was drafted. Playing the slot position while Chris Godwin recovers from a dislocated ankle, he caught a pass that went just over the outstretched hands of safety Xavier Watts and in front of Hughes for his first touchdown. Ironically, Watts lost his last game for the national championship when Egbuka and Ohio State beat his Notre Dame team in this same building. "It was amazing," Egbuka said of his NFL debut. "The only way (Mayfield) can trust me is just doing it every single day in practice. So building that chemistry, building that trust, and when it comes to Sundays, we just let it rip." Mayfield said he wasn't in a very good rhythm and probably tried to force too many passes downfield to start the game. "We got a few opportunities there and obviously Emeka did a good job of finishing it," Mayfield said. "But Mike (Evans) draws a lot of attention. He gets the safety to bite down on it and gets a one-on-one for Mek and he makes the easy plays." The Falcons fought. They took the lead with a 91-yard drive in 18 plays that included two penalties and the Falcons winning three replay challenges before Penix scrambled for a 4-yard TD. But Mayfield was calm amongst the chaos and the rookie delivered, as promised. "This was a routine game for him," Bowles said of Egbuka. "He's up for the task. He's everything we've been talking about since we got here. Everybody is starting to see it, obviously, because it's the real time and a real game." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 8 September 2025