The Tampa Bay Buccaneers mercifully ended a four-game losing streak last week by taking down the New York Giants.
They will look to keep things rolling when they face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Tampa is fighting for its playoff lives at 5-6, and even though Carolina has been playing better recently, one recent stat shows why Baker could have a big game on Sunday.
ProFootballFocus shared on X that Mayfield ranks second in the NFL with 2,424 passing yards from a clean pocket.
He’ll be facing a Panthers defense that applies pressure at the lowest rate in the league.
The Giants game was Baker’s first of the year without a touchdown pass, and last season, Baker threw just one touchdown in two games against the Panthers.
Tampa only scored 30 points in the two wins over Carolina last year, so Baker could be due for a big performance against his former team.
The Bucs are only one game back in the NFC South behind the Atlanta Falcons and two behind the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card race.
The Bucs’ remaining schedule is highly favorable.
They have two games against the Panthers and matchups with the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Even though Carolina struggles to rush the passer, the Bucs can’t take this game lightly.
The Panthers just narrowly missed extending their win streak to three games last week against the Kansas City Chiefs before losing on a last-second field goal.
Getting back to .500 is the Bucs’ first step in firmly reclaiming the NFC South title.
