Last Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers marched into the gridiron against the New York Jets, only to add another milestone in their undefeated journey. This is the third straight victory for Baker Mayfield’s team, their best start in the last 20 years. Although there were many underlying storylines, such as Todd Bowles winning over the team he once coached and Mayfield adding decisive points in the final minutes. There was one special rookie moment in the match that caught everyone’s attention. 

It was 2nd and 10 with the Jets leading the game 6-3 when Mayfield threw a pass towards Emeka Egbuka. The rookie wide receiver stunned everyone with a ridiculous one-handed catch with commentators screaming, “Oh, what a catch”. But what came next made things more interesting. After the match, the mic caught Mayfield’s playful exchange with Emeka Egbuka. “You disrespect one of my passes like that again, we’re going to have a problem, alright?” “Two hands.”. Now, Egbuka has finally responded to this. 

Emeka Egbuka appeared on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams today and was asked about Mayfield’s funny exchange. “You got to put it in a better spot. Put it where I can use two hands. That was the only thing I could have did”. This was Egbuka’s response to not only what the mic caught on the field but also to what Baker Mayfield later said in the postgame interview. “One hand catch? He is disrespecting the pass downfield with one hand, rookies.”

In the same show with Kay Adams, Egbuka talked about his one-handed marvel. “Honestly, we haven’t gone to that spot a lot. Honestly, it wasn’t like a drawn-up like go ball. Kind of more of a play for Mike, but the coverage was down hard on them. So, you know, Bake just gave me a shot.” He also added, “It’s kind of perfect location for me to able to do that”

What makes this catch more exceptional is that Egbuka did it while being covered by one of the best defensive backs, Jets’ Sauce Gardner.  The rookie wide receiver hauled in 6 catches on 8 targets for 85 yards, averaging about 14.2 yards per reception against the Jets. Although Egbuka has already made an impression in his first season, he faces significant responsibilities ahead. 

Emeka Egbuka trusted to take additional responsibilities by Baker Mayfield

Just three weeks into the season, Egbuka can be seen making his claim for the NFL’s top offensive rookie. In just three matches, Egbuka has 14 catches with three TDs for 181 yards. What’s more? He has played a big role in the Buccaneers’ undefeated run. Egbuka has become Mayfield’s favorite target, and it looks like the two have built good chemistry. But more will be expected from Egbuka in the upcoming matches. 

Everything is going in the Buccaneers’ favor, apart from one aspect- Mike Evans’ injury. The wide receiver is currently warming the bench due to a hamstring injury after Sunday’s game against the Jets. Now the Buccaneers will have to deal with the Philadelphia Eagles without Evans, and this means the workload on Egbuka is expected to increase.

But Egbuka looks all ready for the big role, and fans will be expecting him to deliver another gridiron brilliance against the defending Super Bowl champs.