Seahawks-Buccaneers shootout early contender for game of the year

The Bucs jumped out to an early 13-0 lead thanks to an ill-timed Seahawks fumble, which came on a bizarre pitch by Jalen Milroe to Kenneth Walker III, and looked like they were rolling. However, the Seahawks found their mojo just before halftime, with Sam Darnold finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a six-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 13-7 heading into the locker room.

Once the teams came out of the locker room, the game turned into one of the most memorable shootouts in recent memory. From the start of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth, five consecutive drives between the two teams resulted in touchdowns, bringing the game to a 28-28 tie.

The Seahawks finally made the Bucs flinch with their lone sack of the game, but a perfect punt pinned them at their own 1-yard line. Darnold and co. stood tall in the face of adversity, though, leading Seattle on an eight-play, 99-yard drive to take the lead on a fourth-down pass to Tory Horton.

Baker Mayfield then led the Bucs on a game-tying drive in just over two minutes, and then Darnold made his lone costly mistake of the day by throwing an interception to Lavonte David. Five plays later, Chase McLaughlin kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to give Tampa Bay the win.

Fans of offense certainly enjoyed this game, as it had just about everything they could hope for. Both quarterbacks balled out, with Darnold completing 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards, four touchdowns and an interception while Mayfield completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns.

Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tampa Bay wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, former teammates at Ohio State, both balled out as well. The former caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, while the latter caught seven passes for 163 yards and a touchdown.

While Seahawks fans are rightfully disappointed by the loss, it's hard not to admire the absolute show that both teams put on in this game.