Report card grades from the Buccaneers walk-off win over the Seahawks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to test their fans' heart rhythm as they once again win in the final minute of the game.

The offense was firing on all cylinders, while the defense was not. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold put on a show that even would make Jared Goff and Pat Mahomes blush, as they look back on their classic Monday Night Football shootout that fans remember fondly. This will be one of the best games of the year in hindsight, but it also sounded alarm bells for the Bucs in various ways.

Here is your Bucs Week 5 recap from their win over the Seahawks.

Quarterback

Grade: A+

Baker Mayfield had a historic game as he became the first quarterback ever to have 375+ Pass Yards and fewer than five incompletions in a regular season game, according to CBS Sports. He was dialed in from the first drive, distributing the ball to everyone in the offense and getting them involved early. Josh Grizzard called a masterful game for him, and Mayfield looked brilliant in the process.

Running Backs

Grade: B+

The Bucs were down Bucky Irving in this game, so they had to lean on Rachaad White. He came through with a total of 71 total yards and two touchdowns, both on the ground. White carried the load for the running backs as Josh Williams was evaluated for a concussion at one point, and Sean Tucker was never used much.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Grade: A+

Emeka Egbuka had a career day where he caught seven passes for 163 receiving yards and one score, continuing his brilliant start to his rookie season. Tez Johnson also emerged with some deep ball targets and had some chunk plays as a result, which is a welcome sign. Also picking up some targets, as usual, was Chris Godwin but the surprise of the day was Cade Otton. In his biggest game of the year, the upcoming free-agent tight end had four catches for 81 yards and made several big-time first downs in the process.

Offensive Line

Grade: A

The offensive line wasn't brilliant, but they kept Baker Mayfield upright for almost the entire game. The Seahawks did get to him one time, but other than that, this unit really stepped up against a talented Seattle defense. Mike MacDonald will throw a lot at his opponents, and it can be overwhelming, but this front, led by Tristan Wirfs, was up to the task and had one of their better games of the year.

Defensive Line

Grade: D

Now time for the bad grades, and some of these are going to be very generous. The defensive line was getting to Sam Darnold at times, but they failed to bring him down. They had no sacks and just two quarterback hits in what was a very long day for the unit. The Seahawks' run game also had a lot of success, which didn't help this grade, but they could have been graded much worse than a D, if we are being honest.

Linebackers

Grade: C+

The linebacking unit continues to be one of the more disappointing aspects of this defense in 2025. In 2024, they were the lone bright spot, but this year, the lack of coverage ability is catching up to them, and speed is killing them from opposing offenses. Lavonte David saved this group by picking off a Sam Darnold pass that set up the game-winning field goal; otherwise, this unit gets an F.

Secondary

Grade: D-

This was the worst game of the year for the Bucs' secondary, bar none. Sam Darnold carved them up and looked like an All-Pro against this secondary. They had no answer for him, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the entire game. The unit at one point allowed Darnold to complete over 14 passes in a row, something I am relatively sure he has never done as a pro. All in all, this unit needs a heart-to-heart in the coming week ahead of their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Report card grades from the Bucs walk-off win over the Seahawks