TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will close their 2026 preseason at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, taking on the Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 28 after rallying from a 9-0 deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 16-15 at Raymond James Stadium.
Head coach Todd Bowles said the matchup — preceded by two days of joint practices with Jacksonville — will serve as a critical final tuneup before the regular season. “It will be great to get practice reps against them [Jaguars] because it will be the last one going into the season and you’ll see the full gambit,” Bowles said. “I think we got a small sample size last night, but we need more practice in certain situations to clean things up so we’re hoping to get some work in.”
Tampa Bay’s starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, played the first two possessions against Kansas City. The offense did not reach the end zone, but the defense forced two-straight three-and-outs to open the game and held the Chiefs scoreless through those drives.
The trip marks the second time in three years the Bucs have traveled to Jacksonville for an August contest; the clubs also met during the second week of the 2024 preseason slate. Tampa Bay is expected to follow the same approach it used in its preseason opener against the New York Jets, when starters were held out after two days of joint practices with the opposing team.
Jacksonville enters the finale off a 34-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen rested quarterback Trevor Lawrence and other key starters for that game following joint practices with Carolina. Undrafted rookies Joey Aguilar and Trebor Peña provided a bright spot, connecting on a 29-yard touchdown pass over the middle. Running back Ameer Abdullah added a 23-yard run around the right edge in the second quarter.
Kickoff at EverBank Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 28, with joint practices between the two Florida clubs scheduled for the days leading up to the game.