Baker Mayfield Hailed by Fans as Bucs' QB Frontrunner vs. Kyle Trask in Opener

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' ongoing starting quarterback battle continued on Friday with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask both taking the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the team's first preseason game.

Mayfield started and completed 8-of-9 passes for 63 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer.

Trask completed 6-of-10 passes for 99 yards and an interception after taking over midway through the second quarter. His first drive ended with a Trenton Thompson interception on a 3rd-and-19 pass intended for wideout David Moore.

Trask played until late in the third quarter, when third-stringer John Wolford took over.

Both quarterbacks played on shorthanded offenses, as Greg Auman of The Athletic noted:

However, Trask's protection was notably porous, with the ex-Florida quarterback taking three sacks.

Mayfield clearly had the better day, although he didn't own the clear upper hand in this race before Friday. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times even wrote Friday that Trask had "pulled even" in the battle.

There's also still time left for Trask to make a more positive impression against other NFL teams, especially with him set to start on Saturday, Aug. 19 against the New York Jets.

However, the edge went to Mayfield versus Pittsburgh, and reaction from fans and analysts swung in his favor for at least one night.

After the Jets game, the Bucs will close the preseason on Saturday, Aug. 26 against the Baltimore Ravens at home. Their regular-season opener will be Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Minnesota Vikings.