Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield doesn’t lack toughness. No one questions that. He’s taken hits, played through injuries, and answered the bell week after week for the Bucs.
But over the last several games, the results have been impossible to ignore: Mayfield has struggled, and Tampa Bay’s offense has sputtered right along with him.
Even though the 28 points scored by the offense was the best showing the unit has had in over a month, there were still plenty of mistakes in the 29-28 loss to Atlanta on Thursday Night Football. The Bucs benefitted from the return of Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, having their top four receivers together for the first time this season. That included Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka too.
But the fact that Mayfield missed throws that were high, low, and wide left more to be desired.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today
After a promising stretch earlier in the season where Mayfield looked comfortable, decisive, and in command, the last few weeks have told a different story. The offense has stalled in critical moments, explosive plays have vanished, and too many drives have ended with missed opportunities — a troubling trend for a 7-7 team suddenly fighting to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture.
Baker Mayfield Takes Blame For Bucs’ Agonizing Loss
And following Thursday night’s loss. The Buccaneers are on the outside looking in of the postseason.
Mayfield’s interception late in the fourth quarter while up eight points played hand in the Bucs letting go of a fourth quarter lead. The Falcons took that momentum and scored a touchdown to make it 28-26 Tampa Bay after the two-point conversion was no good.
“Disappointing obviously. But falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “Can’t turn the ball over. Can’t have that interception. Then just got to hit Mek in stride on that third down.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today
“Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there. We have to be better on offense. It comes down to how I play.
“This one’s going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”
Mayfield’s Struggles Result In Lackluster Play From Bucs
The Bucs still had a chance to close it out by getting enough first downs to run out the clock. But they failed to do so and had terrible mismanagement of the time as well. This all would’ve been no problem had Baker Mayfield connected on his throw to Emeka Egbuka on second-and-14, but it was behind him and went as an incompletion. They had to punt and that’s the last time Tampa Bay’s offense had the ball in the game.
“Execution. It’s not a preparation problem. Just flat out execution,” Mayfield said after the game. “Like I said, I didn’t execute enough. “When your quarterback doesn’t execute enough in a tight ballgame, you’re not going to win.”
The film tells a clear story. Mayfield has been late on throws he was hitting earlier in the year. His footwork has grown inconsistent, especially when pressure arrives. And when the pocket collapses, he’s reverted to some of his old habits — drifting, forcing balls into tight windows, and turning manageable downs into negative plays.
Accuracy has been the biggest red flag. Throws that once landed in stride are now sailing high or skipping low. Timing routes with wide receivers have lacked rhythm, and contested catches — once a strength of the Bucs’ passing game — have become far more difficult to convert.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
There have been several times when Mayfield has been on the injury report this season. His left shoulder, oblique and knee have shown up on the list throughout the season, and there are likely more injuries that he hasn’t even disclosed that are contributed to some less than stellar performances.
The Buccaneers are their absolute best when Mayfield is thriving in the pocket and hitting completions and throwing touchdown passes. Mayfield threw 13 touchdowns and two interceptions during Tampa Bay’s hot 6-2 start. But we haven’t seen that kind of performance in quite some time this season, as he has thrown nine touchdowns and five interceptions in the last six games, and that’s a concern, as the post-bye record is just 1-5.
Mayfield has three games to correct some of these issues and help this team produce some long-awaited wins. And his play will directly correlate with a chance to right some wrongs with a postseason appearance.