Sunday afternoon was quite the game for Baker Mayfield and the Bucs. After a wild back-and-forth first half and going into the locker room losing 27-24, both sides of the football flipped a switch and pulled away for a 51-27 win.
The offense did whatever it liked as the game went on, from pounding the rock to the team’s starting quarterback overcoming some early misfires to bounce back and lead the unit’s high-scoring effort. Mayfield spoke after the game about how he settled in and kept his confidence, which has become a theme for him this season.
Baker Mayfield Through The Ups And Downs: “You Just Got To Handle It The Right Way”
Baker Mayfield had an electric start at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday afternoon, starting the game by completing his first nine passes and throwing a 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Chris Godwin. After the Bucs got out to a 17-0 lead, Mayfield and the team were tested.
First, he threw an interception to cornerback Paulson Adebo on a bad read. On the next drive, he threw a ball that bounded off wide receiver Jalen McMillan and right into the hands of safety Johnathan Abram.
After throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass to running back Sean Tucker, Mayfield got his hat trick of interceptions in the second quarter as one of his passes was batted at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and caught by defensive end Cam Jordan on an easy pop-up.
It was a rocky start, but he started to settle in after.
“That was a full group effort on offense,” Mayfield said on settling in. “Had a few bad situations there with some tipped balls. The first interception was definitely the worst one. Not a good decision, [Paulson Adebo] had it covered up pretty well. Not [flinching]. There are going to be ups and downs but that’s why you play 60 minutes. There are two halves for a reason, just to regroup and find a way.
In the third quarter, Mayfield connected with Godwin on a short pass on the right sideline that he ran in for a 55-yard touchdown. Then with a 31-27 lead, he found tight end Cade Otton for his fourth touchdown pass of the day, turning it around and finishing the game by completing 24 of 36 passes for 325 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Liam Coen-led offense was unfazed and overcame its early mistakes to have a historic day thanks to the contributions of Mayfield and others. Tucker had 192 total yards (136 rushing, 56 receiving) and two touchdowns, Godwin had 11 catches for 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and the offensive line held up and only gave up one sack.
All the way around, it was a complete offensive effort.
“I think just what this team embodies, what we talked about handling one thing at a time this week, among many other things,” Mayfield added. “There’s going to be a lot of distractions, a lot of ups and downs, you just got to handle it the right way. That’s how our team handled the second quarter. “Obviously, not doing the defense any favors by giving them short fields multiple times in a row and holding them to a couple of field goals. Just for us to come in at halftime and say, ‘If we handle our business, we’re going to be alright.’ That’s what we did. That’s the type of culture we built through and through. Just a resilient group.”
Baker Mayfield Trusts This Bucs’ Group, And It’s Shown In 2024
It was only the second time in franchise history that the Bucs put up 50 points in a game, with the only other time coming in Week 4 of the 2019 season against the Rams.
The team’s scoring output was near the top of the league beforehand, but after putting up 51 points they are tied for the most points (178) in the NFL, averaging 29.7 points per game.
Baker Mayfield believes there is an established trust and confidence with the guys around him.
“I’ve had some not-so-pretty games in the past, but I trust this group,” Mayfield said. “The most important play is always the next one. Good, bad, ugly, doesn’t matter. You got to play the next one. Surrounded by a group that allows me to have that confidence as well.”
Through the season’s first six games, Mayfield leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes and has added two rushing touchdowns. He is second in the league with a 109.4 passer rating, and so far he has completed 134 of 189 passes (70.9%) for 1,489 passing yards.
Simply put, he looks like an elite quarterback operating in offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s system and has an improved ability and mental resilience to overcome mistakes that once plagued him earlier in his career.
