JACKSONVILLE — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed just 87 yards of total offense Friday night at EverBank Stadium, falling 19-0 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a preseason finale that marked the franchise’s first preseason shutout loss since a 30-0 decision against Indianapolis in 1989.
“Not good enough,” Head Coach Todd Bowles said. “Anytime you get shut out, you know. I didn’t think we protected the quarterback enough. We couldn’t run the ball. We gave up a special teams touchdown. The defense fought; they made some mistakes but at least they fought. I thought two out of the three phases didn’t show up.”
The Bucs finished the preseason 2-1 as players made their final case before roster cutdowns. Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, who started the game and played into the third quarter, completed eight of 15 passes for 57 yards and was sacked three times. Tampa Bay had just 70 yards of total offense through much of the third frame and did not record a single first down in the second half. Veteran Jake Browning replaced Daniels late in the third period and completed two of four passes for two yards. Connor Bazelak also saw action to close the game.
Jacksonville’s offense finished with 249 net yards. Cam Little connected on a 61-yard field goal in the first half for the game’s first points. DeeJay Dallas punched in a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Michael Wortham broke the game open with a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in the final period.
Tampa Bay’s defense provided the brightest moments. Veteran Anthony Nelson, who recorded 1.5 sacks against the Chiefs the previous week, added another sack on quarterback Nick Mullens in the first quarter. Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn made the strongest bid for a roster spot, recording two sacks in the fourth quarter — giving him four for the preseason — along with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
The Bucs now turn to final roster cutdowns ahead of the regular season.