“You can’t throw punches in this league,” said Bowles of the penalty that got Sanders thrown out of the game. “That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that.”
The Bucs won the toss and started out at their own 29 after a 27-yard kickoff return by rookie RB Josh Williams. A defensive holding call gifted the Bucs five quick yards, and two plays later Trask found WR Ryan Miller on a crossing route to the left for a gain of 14 to the Bucs’ 49. Three plays later, the Bucs faced a third-and-eight and Trask’s pass in Miller’s direction was out of reach, leading to a punt, which went into the end zone for a touchback.
Shane Buechele’s first pass was incomplete and DL Greg Gaines bottled up a second-down run by RB Frank Gore Jr. for a loss of one, but a defensive holding call on Kindle Vildor gave Buffalo a new set of downs. Two plays later, Buechele spun out of trouble and was able to find WR Tyrell Shavers for a first down at the Bills’ 35. A pass interference call on S Shilo Sanders put the ball at the Bills’ 46, and a screen pass to Gore broke the back out into the open for a 21-yard pickup into Bucs territory. After gaining another first down at the Bucs’ 12, and two plays later a swing pass to WR K.J. Hamler got the ball down to the one. A second effort by Gore after he was initially stood up on a first-and-goal run got the ball into the end zone.
A nice tap dance down the left sideline on the ensuing kickoff return by Williams allowed the Bucs to start their next drive at their own 48. A second-down pass to Miller left the Bucs in a third-and-six but Tez Johnson spun away from a defender on a short catch and picked up a first down at the Bills’ 39. A sack and a third-down incompletion led to another punt and the Bucs’ cover men just missed a shot at keeping it out of the end zone.
The Bills got eight yards on first down with Buechele’s pass to RB Elijah Young, but DL Adam Gotsis dropped Young for a loss of two on the next snap. After a Bills timeout, Buechele’s quick pass to Young was low and incomplete. WR Kameron Johnson dashed straight upfield on the ensuing punt, getting 22 yards on his return after a 62-yard kick.
A rollout pass to Johnson got the Bucs a quick 16 yards to the midfield stripe as the first quarter came to an end. The home team then faced a third-and-four at the Bills’ 44 and Trask got off a pass in a collapsing pocket to WR Trey Palmer for a first down at the 31. A Trask scramble got four yards, and two plays later on third-and-six Tez Johnson once again used his run-after-the-catch speed to turn a short pass into a first down at the Bills’ 16. Trask bobbled the snap on the next play and his eventual handoff to Williams had no chance, resulting in a loss of four. Two plays later, Trask hit Kam Johnson near the goal line but S Tre Herndon arrived just in time to knock it out of Johnson’s hands. Chase McLaughlin came on to drill a 35-yard field goal for the Bucs’ first points.
The Bills got the ball out to their own 35 on the Bucs’ first kickoff of the game, and two plays into the drive Buechele found Hamler open down the left sideline for a gain of 30 yards to the Bucs’ 34. An apparent takeaway by the Bucs’ defense caused by an Elijah Roberts strip-sack was erased by a defensive holding call on CB Bryce Hall, making it first down at the 24. Two plays later, Sanders was flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game, making it first down at the 11-yard line. On the next play, Shavers made a remarkable one-handed catch in the end zone and, after a replay review, it was ruled a touchdown to make it 14-3 with 6:26 left in the first half.
Williams followed with another great kickoff return, bouncing out to the right sideline and getting free for a 42-yard gain to just short of midfield. Two Owen Wright runs put the Bucs in a third-and-four and Trask found Tez Johnson again for six yards to move the chains. Another quick pass to Johnson gained nine more and Williams followed with runs of five and 11 yards to make it first down at the Buffalo 14. Another nine-yard Williams run brought on the two-minute warning. After the break, Williams stumbled after breaking around right end and was dropped for no gain, but he made a nice cut on third down to take it down to the two for a first down. Buffalo used its last timeout to stop the clock with 1:49 left in the half. After one more Williams run got it down to the one, Tez Johnson ran a speed out to the right and Trask got it to him for the touchdown. Johnson celebrated with an Olympic-worthy running backflip.
The Bills started their next drive started at their own 32 but Roberts pushed them back eight yards with a sack. Buechele kept the march alive on third-and-10 by finding WR Kristian Wilkerson down the left sideline for 24 yards. A Buechele scramble for 12 yards and a 13-yard catch by WR Deon Cain got the Bills into field goal range and after a spike stopped the clock with a second left Tyler Bass hit a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-10 at the half.
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