The New York Giants had a golden opportunity to force a turnover near their own goal line on Sunday.
However, no one realized that the ball was loose.
With Tampa Bay leading 7-0 in the first quarter, Bucs running back Sean Tucker attempted to double the lead with a third-and-goal run from the 1-yard line. But he lost the football as he tried to carry it through a pile of players at the goal line.
The ball bounced out of Tucker’s hands and back into the opposite end zone, with few on the field realizing the ball was loose.
But Baker Mayfield did. The Bucs quarterback sprinted into the off-screen camera shot and jumped on the ball before anyone else with a chance realized it was a play.
Several Giants players would have had the opportunity to pick up the ball, including safety Brian Burns, who might have had a free run in the other end zone if he realized the ball was loose near his feet.
Unfortunately, Mayfield came up with it to save the Bucs’ goal. After the recovery, he tried to roll toward the end zone, but Giants defensive lineman Armon Watts jumped out of a pile of players to tackle Mayfield short of the goal line.
Watts appeared to be the only New York player who realized the ball was loose early on, but he had no chance to recover thanks to Mayfield’s heads-up play.
Instead of turning the ball over, the Bucs kicked a field goal on the next play to extend their lead to 10-0. And the Giants added another weakness to a season filled with them.