Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield might have been mocking Tommy DeVito. He might have been honoring the Giants quarterback, as Mayfield said.
It was hard to tell by Mayfield’s postgame comments.
After Mayfield hurdled Giants corner Cor’Dale Flott and scored on a 10-yard run late in the first half, he celebrated with a “Double Tommy.” DeVito, who is Italian, used his signature hand gesture last season, raising both hands and pinching his fingers together, as he quickly became a Giants fan favorite.
“It was a tribute. A tribute to Tommy,” Mayfield said with a straight face, via Jeanna Laine of ESPN. “He’s a good dude.”
Mayfield insists it was not planned.
“Most of the time, I don’t know what I’m going to do so . . . spontaneous stuff. New York fans love Tommy here, so give ‘em something they like,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield said he met DeVito at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February.
“He had his chain blinged out, swag walking through the casino. It was awesome,” Mayfield said. “It was like a movie scene, honestly. He’s got that swag, man.”
DeVito was unaware of Mayfield’s celebration until after the game, but he said he did not take offense.
“They were having a good game. They celebrated,” DeVito said. “It is what it is. Kind of happened last year. It’s going to happen, I guess.”
Benching Daniel Jones didn’t end the Giants’ losing streak, but it did help the Buccaneers put an end to theirs.
The Bucs ran for four touchdowns and shut the Tommy DeVito-led Giants offense out for the first 30 minutes of play at MetLife Stadium. The second half saw the Giants find some offensive momentum, but the game was already in Tampa’s pocket and it ended as a 30-7 Bucs win.
The victory came after four straight losses for the Bucs and it leaves them with a 5-6 record with a trip to Carolina on deck. They have the Raiders at home after that, so the Bucs have a real chance to right the ship heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Baker Mayfield playing like he did on Sunday would help that cause. Mayfield was 24-of-30 for 294 yards and he ran for a touchdown late in the first half. Mayfield suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter, but returned to the game after a quick trip to the sideline medical tent.
Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker also ran for touchdowns and the Bucs piled up 450 yards of offense on the way to the win. Mike Evans caught five passes for 68 yards in his return from a hamstring injury and Irving had six catches for 64 yards to go with 12 carries for 87 yards.
DeVito was 21-of-31 for 189 yards and he ran seven times for 32 yards in his first start of the season. He also took some serious hits while being sacked four times over the course of the afternoon, but only missed one snap after needing medical attention in the fourth quarter.
That should leave him on track to play against the Cowboys when the Giants try to end their six-game losing streak on Thanksgiving.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield gave the team an injury scare during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s rout of the Giants.
Mayfield tried to recover a fumble after a botched handoff and his head hit Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke’s leg. Mayfield went to be checked out in the sideline medical tent and was called questionable to return with a stinger, but he returned to the game without missing a snap.
The Buccaneers lead 30-7 with less than six minutes to play in the game.
The Bucs saw wide receiver Chris Godwin suffer a season-ending injury while playing late in a lost cause against the Ravens, but Mayfield’s quick return may keep head coach Todd Bowles from answering too many pointed questions about keeping stars in games that have already been decided.
The Buccaneers are rolling toward a win, but they did suffer a blow to their defense.
Safety Jordan Whitehead has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Giants with a pectoral injury. Whitehead suffered the injury while tackling Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito on the 1-yard-line in the fourth quarter of the game.
It looked like a tear and Whitehead being ruled out almost immediately also hints at that outcome.
Giants running back Devin Singletary ran for a touchdown one play after Whitehead left the game. That score cut the Buccaneers’ lead to 30-7, so it seems likely that they’ll be able to close things out without the help of the safety.
It’s been all Buccaneers through 30 minutes of play at MetLife Stadium.
Baker Mayfield capped a sparkling first half with a 10-yard run into the end zone that ended with him leaping over a tackler to secure the touchdown. That made the score 23-0 and it stayed that way because Caleb McLaughlin missed the extra point.
That was just about the only thing that went wrong for the Bucs in the first half, however.
Mayfield celebrated his touchdown by mimicking Tommy DeVito’s pinched fingers hand gestures to a crowd that booed the Giants off the field at the end of the half. DeVito was sacked three times and he completed three passes while guiding the team to 45 total yards.
Mayfield is 19-of-23 or 230 yards and he’s completed passes to nine different targets. Mike Evans has four catches for 53 yards in his return from a hamstring injury and Bucky Irving has 87 yards from scrimmage on a day that’s seen everything go Tampa’s way.
The Buccaneers are rolling in the Meadowlands.
Bucky Irving ran six yards for a touchdown with 6:23 left in the first half and the Bucs are on their way to a blowout. It is 17-0 Bucs and the Giants have just 19 yards of offense.
Irving has five catches for 32 yards and six carries for 23 yards so far.
Tommy DeVito’s ascension to the starting lineup has been a dud. The quarterback has two completions and he’s been sacked twice behind a line that lost left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to a quad injury.
The Giants have also lost defensive end Azeez Ojulari to a toe injury while the Bucs are without edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka because of an ankle injury.
The Bucs kicked off Sunday’s game against the Giants with a long touchdown drive.
Baker Mayfield completed seven passes and the Bucs ran six times as they pounded the ball down the field. The last of their 14 plays was a one-yard touchdown run by Sean Tucker and they lead 7-0 with 6:37 left in the first quarter.
One of Mayfield’s completions was to wide receiver Mike Evans, who is back after missing three games with a hamstring injury. He also hit running back Bucky Irving three times for 24 yards.
The Bucs have lost four straight, but they may end that streak if the opening drive is a thing to come on Sunday.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
The Cowboys will be without both of their starting guards in Washington on Sunday.
Left guard Tyler Smith was ruled out when the team handed in its list of inactive players 90 minutes before Sunday’s game against the Commanders kicked off. Smith missed two practices this week with ankle and knee injuries before returning for a limited practice on Friday
Right guard Zack Martin was downgraded to out on Saturday. He has ankle and shoulder injuries. T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman will likely get the start at guards for Dallas.
Cowboys at Commanders
Cowboys: G Zack Martin, G Tyler Smith, CB Trevon Diggs, CB Caelen Carson, RB Deuce Vaughn, TE Jake Ferguson, DE Tyrus Wheat
Commanders: CB Emmanuel Forbes, QB Jeff Driskel, CB Marshon Lattimore, LB Dominique Hampton, G Chris Paul
Buccaneers at Giants
Buccaneers: T Tristan Wirfs, DB Tykee Smith, CB Tyrek Funderburk, LB Jose Ramirez, TE Devin Culp, DL Earnest Brown
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins III, G Jake Kubas, DL Jordon Riley, QB Tim Boyle
Chiefs at Panthers
Chiefs: OL C.J. Hanson, DT Marlon Tuipulotu, T Ethan Driskell, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, DE Cameron Thomas
Panthers: WR Jalen Coker, S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, LB Thomas Incoom, LB DJ Johnson, OL Jarrett Kingston, DT Jaden Crumedy
Patriots at Dolphins
Patriots: QB Joe Milton, WR K.J. Osborn, DT Jaquelin Roy, G Tyrese Robinson, DE Deatrich Wise, LB Titus Leo
Dolphins: RB Jeff Wilson, CB Ethan Bonner, CB Kendall Fuller, LB Mohamed Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, TE Jack Stoll, WR Dee Eskridge
Titans at Texans
Titans: RB Tyjae Spears, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, OL Leroy Watson, TE David Martin-Robinson
Texans: DT Foley Fatukasi, T Blake Fisher, LB Jamal Hill, DE Jerry Hughes, CB Jeff Okudah, WR Steven Sims
Lions at Colts
Lions: CB Terrion Arnold, G Kayode Awosika, DT Brodric Martin, T Giovanni Manu, OL Colby Sorsdal, LB Al-Quadin Muhammed
Colts: QB Sam Ehlinger, WR Anthony Gould, S Darren Hall, DE Isaiah Land, TE Will Mallory, T Bernhard Raimann
Vikings at Bears
Vikings: TE Josh Oliver, CB Dwight McGlothern, DL Levi Drake Rodriguez, OL Dan Feeney, OL Walter Rouse, QB Brett Rypien
Bears: WR Tyler Scott, S Elijah Hicks, DB Ameer Speed, OL Ryan Bates, T Kiran Amegadjie, DE Dominique Robinson
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is ready to make his return to the field.
Evans, who is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, will play today against the Giants, according to multiple reports.
Evans has missed the last three games with the hamstring injury, and the Buccaneers have lost all three games. Getting Evans back on the field and getting back in the win column would bolster the Bucs’ chances at a late-season playoff run.
Evans had 26 catches for 335 yards and will have to have a big final games of the season to reach 1,000 receiving yards, as he has done in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.
The Buccaneers are six-point favorites against the Giants today.
Giants starting quarterback Tommy DeVito will have his top receiver today against the Buccaneers.
Malik Nabers, who is listed as questionable with a groin injury, plans to play today, according to multiple reports.
Nabers has been one of the few bright spots for the Giants this season and has been one of the NFL’s best rookie wide receivers, with 61 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns in an otherwise woeful Giants passing game.
The groin injury kept Nabers out of practice on Friday, which raised concerns about his availability, but he’ll be good to go.
DeVito is playing for the first time this season after Daniel Jones was benched and then released. Having Nabers available to him should help.
