Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: USA Today K.J. Britt started alongside Lavonte David to open the Bucs’ first defensive drive, though Devin White entered on the second play and remained in for the duration of the Jacksonville possession. It paid off, too, as White intercepted Trevor Lawrence on 3rd & 15 to get the ball back to Mayfield and the offense at their own 44. Tampa Bay’s offense moved down the field quickly after the turnover. Throws of five and 19 yards from Mayfield to Mike Evans got the Bucs into Jaguars territory, then David Moore got the drive into the red zone. This time, the offense finished. After converting a 4th & 2 with a Rachaad White run to open the second quarter, Mayfield converted a third down with his legs. One play later, he found Evans for a three-yard touchdown. With an 11-play, 56-yard drive that drained another 6:07, Tampa Bay turned the takeaway into seven points and a 10-0 lead. Despite a Lavonte David sack early on the next Jacksonville drive, Lawrence got his offense all the way down to the Tampa Bay 26-yard line thanks to a couple of third-down conversions. But Yaya Diaby came through with a huge play from there, sniffing out an end-around to Calvin Ridley and dropping him for a loss of 10. That effectively killed the drive, plus it made Brandon McManus’ field goal attempt a longer one. McManus missed wide right from 52 yards out, keeping it a 10-0 game. After the missed field goal, the Bucs quickly got into Jaguars territory again. But even after the drive was extended by a fourth-down roughing the passer call on Andre Cisco, the home team had to settle again. This time, McLaughlin came on and nailed a 31-yard field goal to make it a 13-0 game with 2:27 left in the first half. 
Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today The Jaguars’ woes continued from there. After a first down brought the game to the two-minute warning, Lawrence threw wildly downfield and was intercepted by Antoine Winfield Jr., who gave Tampa Bay’s offense a chance to add to the lead. The offense did exactly that, with Mayfield picking the Jacksonville defense apart and getting the ball just outside the red zone before connecting with Evans again – this time for a 22-yard touchdown. With the McLaughlin PAT, the Bucs went up 20-0. And with a third-down sack by Winfield on the next possession, they carried that lead into the locker room. After 30 minutes, Tampa Bay led Jacksonville by 20 and had a 224-84 advantage in total yards. The Jaguars had negative-three rushing yards and barely had any of the ball, with the Bucs having scoring drives of 7:38, 6:07 and 3:53. The second half was a fresh start for the Jaguars, only it brought more of the same for the visitors. Yaya Diaby came through with his second game-changing play of the day, this time getting to Lawrence for a sack-fumble that he then recovered on his own. After Payne Durham hauled in a 25-yard pass on the ensuing possession, Rachaad White punched it in and the Bucs were up 27-0. 
Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today Jacksonville still couldn’t get anything going down 27. Lawrence found Ridley for one big gain, but the drive then stalled as Lawrence missed on 4th & 12 from the Tampa Bay 40. The offense then turned that solid field position into three more points, with McLaughlin nailing a 51-yard field goal to make it a 30-0 game with 3:49 to go in the third quarter. The Jaguars finally broke the Bucs’ 30-0 run with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Ridley. The two-point conversion failed, however, keeping it a 24-point game at 30-6. The Jacksonville offense gifted the Buccaneer defense a fourth takeaway early in the fourth quarter, with Zyon McCollum forcing an Evan Engram fumble that was recovered by – who else? – Antoine Winfield Jr. Despite another consolation touchdown for Jacksonville, it was smooth sledding for the Bucs the rest of the way as they went on to win 30-12 and send the home fans into their holiday on a happy note. Baker Mayfield followed up his 381-yard, four-touchdown day in Green Bay last week with a 284-yard, two-touchdown performance this week. Mike Evans was his leading receiver, catching seven passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. 
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today The Tampa Bay defense had what might’ve been it’s best game of the season, getting outstanding performances all over the field. Yaya Diaby had a huge tackle for loss and 1.5 sacks, while Lavonte David chipped in with a sack of his own. The returning Devin White came through with a big interception and a half-sack, while Zyon McCollum had a forced fumble. But the story of the defensive outing for the Bucs – as it has been all season – was Antoine Winfield Jr. The fourth-year safety had an interception, sack and a fumble recovery as his All-Pro resume continued to take shape. The night ended on a down note, though, as the Bucs announced that Winfield was being evaluated for a concussion. The Bucs’ wins continued to snowball on Christmas Eve, as they have now won four regular season games in a row for the first time since 2021 and have a chance to win their third straight NFC South title with one win in their next two games. They’ll get their first shot at clinching the division on New Year’s Eve when the Saints (7-8) come to Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. The post Holiday Cheer! Bucs Beat Jaguars 30-12 appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/holiday-ch ... ars-30-12/
