TAMPA — Battling rib and ankle injuries, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the wild-card round, securing the team's biggest win. Buccaneers in playoffs since their 27-point Super Bowl. XXXVII victory, despite being underdogs at home by 3.5 points on Monday night.
“There's something about whether you're an underdog or [on] a road game, just having your back against the wall and knowing that it's just your team against everyone else when they count you out,” said Mayfield, who became the first Buccaneer to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game. A feat that not even his predecessor, Tom Brady, could accomplish in three years with Tampa. “It's always fun to be in that role. “I'm obviously pretty comfortable with that, but our team has completely embraced it all year.”
On top of that, he was battling a rib injury he suffered two weeks ago in a loss to the New Orleans Saints, and then an ankle injury he suffered in Carolina last week. Mayfield brought in his personal physical therapist twice this week to help him overcome the injuries, which limited his practice time.
“It gutted him,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “I mean, if you looked at him during the week (he was limping, he wasn't practicing, he was getting a little better every day) I wish he didn't get hit too much. I know they took some shots and got what, four sacks? So he bounced back from that. “He stuck with the plan, never flinched, and made play after play after play, and that says a lot about him.”
Despite six drops of his receiving targets in the first half alone, including three by tight end Cade Otton, Mayfield maintained positive and encouraging energy on the sideline.
“He was ready. I mean, the whole game he was ready… They dropped some passes, but he kept coming back, he kept going to them,” Bowles said.
“He's always encouraging,” said Otton, who led the Bucs with 89 receiving yards. “I feel like we, as a team, just took on his character. Always competing, always having that fire. We're seeing him come together, we're getting better at executing. We're never out of the fight. We're always going to compete like he does.”
After a 28-yard field goal on the opening drive by Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin, Mayfield found rarely used wide receiver David Moore on a crossing route for a 44-yard touchdown to take a 10-yard lead. -0. McLaughlin followed with field goals of 54 and 48 yards in the second quarter. A third-quarter safety by Anthony Nelson provided a much-needed jolt, as Mayfield connected with rookie Trey Palmer on a 56-yard touchdown two plays later. He then connected with wide receiver Chris Godwin over the middle for a 23-yard score in the fourth.
“I love playing with Baker,” outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett said. “I knew Baker was going to be special for us once he won the job. I saw that from when he first came into the league. He just needed to be healthy and have a good opportunity. And I think he got that with us, and he's showing what he can do with it and I love what I see from him.
Moments after running off the field at Raymond James Stadium with a triumphant “Let's go!” Mayfield was asked to compare the win to his 48-37 playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he was with the Cleveland Browns in 2020.
Mayfield shrugged and paused briefly. “Pretty good,” he said, before revealing a mischievous grin and cracking a smile.
Was it even sweeter after the journey you had been on over the past year? After being traded by the Browns in July 2022, released by the Panthers in December of that year and signed with the Los Angeles Rams for five games before the Bucs signed him this offseason to a one-year contract worth $4 million?
“Yeah, I mean I don't like to compare directly,” Mayfield said. “But yeah, obviously the ups and downs I've been through over the last few years, this one's great… but our sights are set on bigger goals, so let's move on to the next one.”
The next one will be on the road, against the Detroit Lions in the divisional round, with the Bucs once again the losers. The Lions are currently 6-point favorites after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 on Sunday night.
The Bucs lost to the Lions 20-6 when they hosted them in Week 6.
“We don't really think or care what the outside says,” Otton said. “We know the quality of the players we have in the locker room, the quality of the people, the coaches, the entire organization.”
“It's a revenge tour,” inside linebacker Devin White added. “Everyone in this locker room believes in each other, and that's all that matters. People are going to talk on TV, they're going to make their predictions. But at the end of the day, the ball has to be placed and we have to go out. and play. What people say doesn't determine the outcome.”
