Live updates: Ravens lead Bucs 17-13 in fourth quarter

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For at least a quarter Thursday night, the Bucs seemed set to reverse their recent misfortunes. Then the shine quickly wore off their first touchdown of the season in the opening quarter.

The Ravens, who had gotten away from the run in the opening half, changed up their game plan and took advantage of a tiring defense to hand the Bucs their fifth loss, 27-22. Tom Brady, who finished 26-of-44 for 325 yards passing and a touchdown, kept the Bucs in it, but they were playing catch-up most of the game.

Fourth quarter: Ravens 27, Bucs 22

The Bucs still have a pulse. And Tom Brady still has an arm.

On second and 10 from their own 36 in the fourth quarter, Brady found Mike Evans for 51 yards (the longest play of the season for TB12). But after that dazzling play, two incompletions followed along with a Brady scramble for 1 yard on third down.

Ryan Succop entered for his second field goal of the night, converting on a 30-yarder to pull the Bucs within four. Ravens 17, Bucs 13 (12:26 to play).

Running back Gus Edwards, who had been a spark for the Ravens in the second half, went down with a hamstring injury at the end of a 22-yard gain on first down. He walked off the field under his own power and headed to the medical tent.

But Isaiah Likely, Kenyan Drake and Devin Duvernay all converted first downs to help sustain the drive after Edwards’ exit. The nine-play, clock-chewing drive ended with a Duvernay 15-yard touchdown run. Ravens 24, Bucs 13 (6:55 to play).

A pass interference call on third down (albeit on an underthrown ball to Scotty Miller from Brady) kept the Bucs’ next drive alive, setting them up at the Baltimore 9. Three plays later, Cade Otton appeared to have his first career touchdown catch, but a holding call on Donovan Smith brought it back to the Baltimore 16.

Julio Jones snagged a 13-yard reception to give the Bucs fourth and goal from the 3, then Leonard Fournette was flagged for a false start. Instead of a possible touchdown, the Bucs got another Succop field goal, this one a 26-yarder with 4:54 to go. Ravens 24, Bucs 16.

But the Ravens weren’t done. After Duvernay returned a kick 33 yards, Drake followed with a 40-yard romp on first down to the Bucs’ 21. Baltimore eventually tacked on three more points, on a Justin Tucker 30-yard field goal. Ravens 27, Bucs 16 (2:12 to play).

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Never count out a Brady team with two minutes to play. The Bucs marched 75 yards on 11 plays, pulling within five thanks to an 8-yard touchdown catch by Julio Jones. Ravens 27, Bucs 22.

Tampa Bay tried an onside kick with 49 seconds remaining, but Baltimore recovered and ran out the clock.

Third quarter: Ravens 17, Bucs 10

After an unusually high number of pass attempts for Lamar Jackson (30) in the first half, the Ravens committed more to the run early in the third quarter.

Jackson picked up a first down after a 25-yard run, with Gus Edwards tallying a combined 18 on back-to-back plays. Receptions by Devin Duvernay and Kenyan Drake put the Ravens in the red zone, and Drake’s 5-yard TD tied the score with 9:05 remaining in the quarter. Bucs 10, Ravens 10.

Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who was having one of his better games of the season, limped off the field with assistance on the drive and was ruled out of the game with an ankle injury.

It was more of the same on the Ravens’ next drive against a tiring Bucs defense, as Baltimore utilized a nice mix of short passes (for big gains) and the ground game. Rookie Isaiah Likely scored on a 10-yard touchdown catch to put the Ravens ahead with five seconds to play in the quarter. Ravens 17, Bucs 10.

Baltimore ended the quarter with a significant boost to the run game: 20 carries, 118 yards. Time of possession also has definitely favored the Ravens, who have held the ball 29 minutes through three quarters.

Second quarter: Bucs 10, Ravens 3

Bucs coach Todd Bowles on the fast start: “Good to finally get a touchdown in the first quarter. Obviously that helps and we just have to keep going.”

Tampa Bay did not keep that going in the second quarter.

After the teams traded punts to open the period, the Ravens seemed to find a bit of rhythm, despite increased pressure on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. But what seemed to be a promising Baltimore drive ended in yet another punt after Jackson was called for intentional grounding and the Ravens couldn’t convert on third and 36.

Shaquil Barrett picked up his third sack of the year on the drive and has three tackles for loss in the game (his most since 2020). Ravens tight end Mark Andrews injured his shoulder and was questionable to return. The Bucs offense followed with a quick three and out. Bucs 10, Ravens 3 (5:00 to play in quarter).

Demarcus Robinson made a pair of nifty back-to-back catches of 14 and 16 yards once the Ravens got into Bucs territory on the ensuing drive, but the Ravens definitely missed their top target, Andrews, once they got into the red zone. The Ravens passed up a short field goal to go for it on fourth and 2 from the Tampa Bay 9, but Jackson’s pass to Robinson (aided a bit cornerback Jamel Dean) was incomplete. Bucs 10, Ravens 3 (two-minute warning).

On the Bucs’ final drive before halftime, Tom Brady found Mike Evans on third and 3 for a 28-yard gain. Then things deteriorated and Brady eventually was sacked on back-to-back plays by Justin Houston. Thanks to his longevity in the league, Brady has been sacked 555 times in his career, most in the NFL. The Bucs blocked a 61-yard field-goal attempt, their first such block since 2017, as time expired. Bucs 10, Ravens 3

Brady finished the half 10-of-17 for 142 yards passing; Jackson was 19-of-30 for 144 yards. As for the run game, not much going for either team: Bucs 26 yards, Ravens 27.

First quarter: Bucs 10, Ravens 3

The Bucs seem to find a way to top themselves — in a bad way — in the first quarter with each passing week.

Thursday night against the Ravens, after Lavonte David came up with an impressive third-down pass breakup on Baltimore’s first drive, kick returner Jaelon Darden was run into by his own man, giving the ball back to the Ravens on the Bucs’ 6.

The good news? Baltimore only got a field goal out of the miscue, a 22-yard Justin Tucker chip shot. Ravens 3, Bucs 0.

On the Bucs’ ensuing drive, they found success in short-yardage situations (surprise), none bigger than Chis Godwin’s 44-yard reception on second and 1 down to the Baltimore 8. Four plays later, Leonard Fournette punched it in from 1 yard for the touchdown, Tampa Bay’s first in the opening quarter this season. Bucs 7, Ravens 3.

The Bucs weren’t done in the first. Tom Brady was on target initially to his receivers, including a 23-yard pickup from Mike Evans, and two catches of 9 and 8 yards, respectively, from Godwin, and he had Tampa Bay back in the red zone. But the Bucs couldn’t punch it in and settled for a Ryan Succop 31-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining. Succop leads the NFL with 17 made field goals this season. Bucs 10, Ravens 3.

Vita Vea closed out the quarter with a sack of Lamar Jackson on second down. Bucs 10, Ravens 3.

Pregame

The Bucs could have used an extra day or two this week to work through the problems that led to losses in four of their past five games.

Instead, they got a short week, with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (4-3) visiting Raymond James Stadium just four days after a loss to the Panthers dropped Tampa Bay to 3-4.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after last Sunday’s loss at Carolina that he will find out who on his team can handle adversity.

The first test comes quickly, with tonight’s 8:15 p.m. kickoff.

Contender or pretender? Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea walks off the field at halftime of last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers. [ JACOB KUPFERMAN | AP ]

Are the Bucs (3-4) what we’ve seen through the first seven games of the season, an aging, inconsistent team with issues on both sides of the ball that seems to play to the level of its competition?

Or are they a championship contender lying in the weeds, still working their way through injuries, as well as coaching and personnel changes, toward playing their best football?

Given the sorry state of the NFC South this season, even a subpar season might get them into the playoffs.

But to do more than make an appearance, they’ll need to make significant strides in a lot of areas.

We’ll learn a bit more tonight, when Tom Brady and the Bucs, losers of four of their past five games and coming off their worst performance of the season (a 21-3 loss to the Panthers), face the multi-talented Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (4-3) following a short week of preparation.

It could be the confidence-building win the Bucs need to find their footing. Or a dispiriting loss that could sink them into an even deeper hole.

At the moment, we have more questions than answers about one of the league’s most perplexing teams:

Will offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich continue to call the plays? Will the Bucs take more shots downfield? Will a still-developing interior line even afford them that luxury? Will Nick Leverett be an improvement over Luke Goedeke at left guard? Will they get running back Rachaad White more involved in the offense?

Can they shore up the miscommunication and missed assignments on defense? Can a unit that has struggled against the run play with enough discipline to keep Jackson from exploiting their gaps and making big plays with his legs? Can they get by with a secondary that will be missing three of its four starters?

Then there’s this: If all else fails, can the 45-year-old Brady will the Bucs to a much-needed win?

He has not lost five games in a six-game span in his career and hasn’t dropped three straight in 20 years. Though he hasn’t gotten his team into the end zone nearly often enough, throwing just eight touchdown passes, he ranks second in the NFC in passing yards (1,492) and has thrown only one interception.

Tonight, he will be facing Jackson for just the second time in his career. The two previously met in 2019, when Jackson’s Ravens beat Brady’s Patriots. Jackson ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in Baltimore’s 37-20 win. Brady threw a touchdown pass and an interception.

In addition to Goedeke (foot), the Bucs will be without cornerbacks Carlton Davis (hip) and Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion), wide receiver Russell Gage (hamstring) and tight end Cameron Brate (neck).

Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who has not played since tearing the plantar fascia in his foot Sept 18 at New Orleans, was listed as questionable on Wednesday’s final injury report. Receiver Julio Jones will be a game-time decision.

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A little light reading Priscilla Williams, of St. Petersburg, dresses up in pirate gear ahead of Thursday’s Bucs game. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

Here’s some of our content leading up to today’s game:

Bucs’ offense is bad, but does anyone remember when their defense was good?

Nick Leverett plans to flip switch from neighborly to nasty in first NFL start

Bucs secondary again riddled with injuries for Ravens game

Quick passes and 3-yard runs ain’t getting it done for Bucs’ offense

Bucs ready to welcome Akiem Hicks back into middle of the defense

Nick Leverett could be Bucs’ starting left guard by default Thursday

Officials weren’t seeking Mike Evans’ autograph after Sunday’s game, NFL finds

As Ravens game looms, Bucs have short week to address long list of problems

Rookie Luke Goedeke will remain starting left guard, Todd Bowles says

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