Wirfs is the first offensive lineman to catch a touchdown pass in 2025, and the first since the Lions’ Dan Skipper in Week 15, 2024. He is the first Bucs O-lineman to score a TD since Leonard Wester in 2017 (from Jameis Winston).
Before Sunday, Wirfs had no catches in his career, with his only 9 yards recorded coming on a sideline play at the end of the half last season.
While it was the All-Pro’s opening TD, it wasn’t the only time Mayfield has hit an O-lineman for a score. The Bucs QB also found Kendall Lamm for a touchdown in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield joined Patrick Mahomes (2) as the only players with multiple regular-season TDs by an O-lineman since 2018, when Mayfield entered the league.
“It’s crazy, all week he was giving me floaties, and he threw me a ball so I was kind of nervous, I was like, ‘Don’t let it go,'” Wirfs said. “But I was excited, I saw (Cardinals safety) Budda Baker running to the right and was like, ‘Oh my God, he could throw it to me.’ I was kind of nervous that Budda was going to do that [hit] me I thought he might have shot right out of it. But no, it was awesome, you know, to get a touchdown in the NFL, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
The situation was not explosive either. It was a crucial TD early in a contest where both sides started poorly. It also came in a game Tampa desperately needed to win, as the Carolina Panthers sit a half game back in the NFC South.
The 7-5 Bucs face the New Orleans Saints (2-10) and Atlanta Falcons (4-8) the next two weeks before finishing against Carolina (7-6) in two of the last three weeks (with the Miami Dolphins in between).