Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles had a gamble pay off in a game-winning drive on Monday Night Football as Baker Mayfield led his team down the field to clinch a 20-19 win over the Texans.
On the 11-play, 80-yard drive that sealed the game, Mayfield threw to Mike Evans to give the Bucs a first-and-goal with 30 seconds remaining. That play didn't end up with Evans running out of bounds, though, meaning the clock continued to run and Bowles elected not to use one of the two timeouts still in his pocket. The next snap took place with 13 seconds left, where Mayfield threw to tight end Cade Otton for a short gain before he was able to get out of bounds at the two-yard line.
That left nine seconds on the clock and Tampa Bay pounded the ball in for the score on second-down on a run from Rachaad White. The decision to hold onto their timeouts paid off, but if White wasn't able to get in, it would have caused a third down with six seconds left. No harm, no foul, but Bowles explained the decision to let the clock run as his team inched toward the goal line.
"We had another timeout. We were going to try to run the ball and then if we didn't get that we were going to call a timeout and go from there," Bowles said to reporters after the win. "But it worked out for us."
The strategy makes sense as Tampa Bay more than likely would have been able to get off two plays if White didn't get in and they faced third down. On the ensuing kickoff, Houston return man Tremon Smith brought the ball out, but he wasn't able to keep any time on the clock for a last-second shot from the offense. The confident play worked out for Bowles and the Bucs this time, but letting the clock run was certainly questionable in the moment.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Todd Bowles Explains Decision to Let Clock Run During Late Goal-Line Drive.