SEATTLE — A charter bus of 50 made the trek from Tumwater to Lumen Field. The Otton family got a front row seat to see their own son return to the place he once called home for four years.
And Cade Otton had his fingerprints all over another Tampa Bay Buccaneers fourth quarter comeback.
The Tumwater High School alum and former University of Washington Husky dazzled in his first game in Seattle since leaving UW and set a new season-high in yards with 84 and helped the Bucs triumph over the Seattle Seahawks 38-35 on Sunday afternoon in front of 65,000-plus.
Now at 4-1 on the season and still holding serve at the top of the NFC South, Tampa has mastered the fourth quarter rallies. Three of the comebacks have been away from sunny Florida. After a Lavonte David interception with under a minute left, Chase McLaughlin knocked in a 39-yard field goal as time expired.
The Bucs are the first team in NFL history to win four of their first five games where all wins are decided by three points or fewer.
“We knew we had that character and the poise to do that,” Otton said postgame in the locker room. “To prove it again is awesome.”
The five targets was also a season-best for Otton, who was involved in the gameplan early with a couple first down catches on Tampa’s opening scoring drive. His biggest catch of the game came on a 3rd-and-14 in the second quarter.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was facing pressure and dumped off a TE screen to Otton, who broke a couple tackles and rumbled his way for a 17-yard gain that set up another TD. He even drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Seahawks EDGE Leonard Williams, then a play later, the Bucs found the end zone again.
“I feel like each week I've had an impact,” Otton said. “Whenever the ball is going to come to me, I want to be ready. I want to help that team win.”
On Baker: “He is easy to get along with and he's a great player, obviously.”
Otton said he got to see a couple family members before the game, but he was able to see more after the game. His wife caught a case of food poisoning, he said, and that kept her away from coming home.
Still, all-in-all, he left with a smile on his face. Winning helps with that.
“Breathing the air, seeing the city, walking into the stadium, it was a lot of fun,” Otton said. “It was an awesome experience, for sure.”
He wasn’t the only PNW native that had a day in front of supporters.
Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka grabbed seven catches for a game-high 163 yards and a touchdown. His longest catch was a 57-yard bomb that Mayfield put right in his basket. Rachaad White finished the drive with a 1-yard plunge.
Back in the day, Tumwater and Steillacoom – Egbuka’s alma mater – were known commodities in the Class 2A playoffs. While they never played against each other, there is still a rivalry between the two schools.
“It is kind of weird for me to be cheering for him now,” Egbuka said with a chuckle. “Very proud to be here. It means a lot, a homecoming party for both of us.”
Otton and Egbuka each averaged over 20 yards per catch in the victory. Tampa Bay gets the San Francisco 49ers next week at home in a second straight battle of one-loss teams.
“We’re gonna keep this thing rolling,” Otton said. “There’s no bad teams in the NFL.”
