Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Jets Preseason Live Blog

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to kick off their first preseason game of the year against the New York Jets, and they're scheduled to kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 7 p.m.
If you're looking to follow along with the game or can't catch it on TV, we'll be live-blogging the game right here for all four quarters. Follow along with us and catch all the highlights as the Bucs get their first look at their rookies, key depth players and more:
First Quarter
- The Jets win the toss and defer, so the Bucs are gonna get the rock first here to start things off — Connor Bazelak gets the start at QB.
- 15:00-14:02: Tampa Bay's drive stalls quick. QB Connor Bazelak throws an incompletion to Ted Hurst, Sean Tucker runs for four yards on second down and then Bazelak is sacked by Will McDonald on third down before punting.
- 13:13-7:13: The Jets march all the way down the field (while playing their starters, outside of quarterback Geno Smith). Quarterback Cade Klubnik goes 4/6 for 51 yards against the Bucs defense, but Tampa Bay is able to stop them at the nine-yard line and force them to kick. 3-0 Jets.
- 7:02-5:17: Ted Hurst gets some good work here, with two back to back targets — he catches the first one and a second one is ruled incomplete, and after a Todd Bowles challenge, still incomplete. The Bucs can't get anything going after that, and they punt on 4th & 4 back to the Jets.
- 4:25-2:15: The Jets get within striking distance of the red zone and then take it all the way in off a 31-yard scamper by running back Braelon Allen for a touchdown. The extra point is good, so it's 10-0 Jets as the first quarter dies down.
- 1:59-0:00: The Bucs make a little bit of progress and get past midfield on a Connor Bazelak scramble before the first quarter comes to an end.
FIRST QUARTER: Jets 10, Bucs 0
Second Quarter
-15:00-9:59: Starting from the Jets' 45 to kick the quarter off, the Bucs drive all the way down the field thanks to the efforts of Ted Hurst and Dennis Houston. The Bucs couldn't get it in the end zone, though, as a would-be touchdown throw to Hurst was behind him and Hurst couldn't secure it. Bucs kick, it's good, 10-3 Jets.
- 9:55-8:43: Pick six! Ayden Garnes, who has dazzled so far in camp, takes a Bailey Zappe pick back to the house for a touchdown. The kick is good, and just like that, it's tied 10-10 here in East Rutherford.
PICK-6 ALERT BY AYDEN GARNES 🚨
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- 8:31-7:53: Interception again! This time, Bucs safety Rashad Wisdom comes down with the ball on a tip drill. Bucs offense will set up shop once again in plus territory to try and do some damage.
- 7:44-5:57: The Bucs do not, in fact, do some damage. They don't make it very far, and they punt back to the Jets after burning some clock.
- 5:44-4:28: The Jets go three-and-out after getting the punt from Tampa Bay, so with just a few minutes left in the half, they're gonna punt back to the Bucs.
- 4:14-3:29: The Bucs do the same thing. Three-and-out, and a punt back to the Jets.
- 3:16-0:00: The Jets move the ball all the way down the field in the last drive of the second quarter. They get to the 20-yard-line and kick to end the half, going up 13-10 on a dicey kick as the half ends.
SECOND QUARTER: Jets 13, Bucs 10
Third Quarter
-15:00-13:45: The Jets get the ball to start things off. They got three-and-out, thanks to a big sack on third down by linebacker Jack Pyburn. Bucs get the ball back.
- 12:58-5:30: Jalon Daniels comes in at quarterback for the Buccaneers. He gets a first down off a scramble, and he also finds wideout Garrett Greene for a nice 35-yard gain. The Bucs end up scoring a touchdown on a very nice 12-yard scamper for a score after bleeding some clock — that makes it 17-13 Bucs.
Josh Williams showcases the moves for 6️⃣
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- 5:18-1:10: The Jets lead a long drive by chipping away at the Bucs, but they aren't able to meaningfully cash in. The Jets punt and give the ball back to Tampa Bay.
-1:10-0:00: The Bucs have the ball at the end of the third quarter. They'll face third and medium.
THIRD QUARTER: Bucs 17, Jets 13
Fourth Quarter
-15:00-14:22: The Bucs get nothing going this time, and after a run from Josh Williams stalls, Riley Dixon punts it away. Jets ball.
- 14:11-9:53: The Jets led an extended drive down the field in hopes of taking the lead. Brady Cook helped lead the offense down the field, but a holding penalty proved too much to overcome around the 30-yard line and the Jets ended up kicking. It's good, so 17-16 Bucs with about 10 minutes to play.
-9:48-3:24: Jalon Daniels makes some good throws, one to tight end Devin Culp for a big gain, but another is dropped by Garrett Greene and his last two go errant. Bucs go to punt, but 12 men on the field allow the Bucs to convert on 4th & 5 instead. Tampa Bay capitalized, leading a very, very long drive that culminated in a touchdown via a QB sneak from Daniels. With the score, Bucs go up eight points, 24-16.
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River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.
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