The 43-year-old quarterback was playing in his first home game since leaving the New England Patriots for the Buccaneers in March, and threw one touchdown pass for 217 yards at the Raymond James Stadium.
However, it was running back Leonard Fournette who was the star of the show as he rushed in two touchdowns for 103 yards from 12 carries.
Now that's ♥️ pic.twitter.com/SSPkCDpReu
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 20, 2020
The Buccaneers, who lost 34-23 in their season opener at the New Orleans Saints, almost surrendered a 21-0 half-time lead as Carolina battled back to trail 24-14 in the final quarter before Fournette ran in his second score to seal their first win of the campaign.
The San Francisco 49ers made a rapid start against the New York Jets on their way to a 31-14 triumph – their first of the new season but it came at a cost.
Raheem Mostert ran in an 80-yard touchdown inside 17 seconds to put the Super Bowl LIV runners-up into an early lead that they never surrendered.
Back in the W column.#SFvsNYJ x #FTTB pic.twitter.com/JTC10bcPYk
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 20, 2020
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 14 of his 16 attempted passes and threw two touchdowns for 131 yards but picked up an ankle injury and did not return in the second half, with Mostert also sustaining a knee issue.
Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones starred for the Green Bay Packers as they defeated NFC North division rivals Detroit Lions 42-21.
Rodgers threw two touchdowns for 240 yards while running back Jones claimed a hat-trick of scores, running in two for 168 yards and collected four receptions for 68 yards.
The Buffalo Bills overcame a weather delay to usurp AFC East rivals Miami Dolphins 31-28 at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Due to lightning in the area, game play has been suspended. pic.twitter.com/OsYfyNM8ft
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 20, 2020
Lightning in the Miami area meant there was a 25-minute delay to the second half, where Buffalo were leading 17-10.
It clearly affected the visitors as the Dolphins hit back to move 20-17 ahead in the final quarter, but Josh Allen – who threw four touchdown passes for a huge 417 yards – found Gabriel Davis and John Brown to complete a 31-28 triumph.
Greg Zuerlein kept his cool to snatch a dramatic victory for the Dallas Cowboys as his 46-yard field-goal with time expired earned a 40-39 success over the Atlanta Falcons.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw a monster 450 yards in a thrilling contest at the AT&T Stadium as the Cowboys recorded their first win of the season.
Ben Roethlisberger helped the Pittsburgh Steelers maintain their 100 per cent record this season with a battling 26-21 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Stephen Gostkowski landed a 49-yard field-goal as the Tennessee Titans edged out the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 33-30 thriller, while the Los Angeles Rams eased past the Philadelphia Eagles 37-19.
Rodrigo Blankenship kicked four field-goals to help the Indianapolis Colts to a 28-11 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears made it two wins from two after seeing off the New York Giants 17-13.
In other games, the Arizona Cardinals beat Washington 30-15, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 33-16, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20 in overtime.
