Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield found extra satisfaction in rallying his team to beat the New York Jets 29-27 on Sunday.
Mayfield once played for Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, and Wilks was the head coach there when the team cut Mayfield. That changed Mayfield’s career, which was going south at the time. Mayfield found a spark with the Los Angeles Rams afterward before he joined the Buccaneers in 2023, when he turned around his career.
“I loved it,” Mayfield told reporters after the game. “And also their D-coordinator was the one that cut me in Carolina. Lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick, former Jet … lot of people.”
Reddick, one of the Buccaneers’ linebackers, also played for the Jets, and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles once coached the Jets before getting fired. Tampa Bay once had a 23-6 lead in the third quarter, but the Jets chipped away and grabbed the lead, 27-26, with a blocked kick recovery by Will McDonald.
Baker Mayfield: ‘We Stick Together’
After the block, McDonald rumbled 50 yards for the touchdown, and the Jets went ahead with 1:49 left. Mayfield didn’t flinch and drove the Buccaneers 48 yards in seven plays, and kicker Chase McLaughlin booted the game-winning field goal as time expired.
“Resilient group,” Mayfield said. “We stick together. The whole team, when one phase of it is a little bit down, we gotta pick it up and be there for you. That’s what this team is all about. We support each other no matter what. It’s a resilient, mentally tough group.”
Tampa Bay has become the cardiac kids of the NFL this season as all three wins have come on game-winning drives by Mayfield. He found wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for a go-ahead touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, and Mayfield led an 11-play, 80-yard game-winning drive in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
Baker Mayfield Moving Forward Without Mike Evans
This time around, Mayfield did it without star wide receiver Mike Evans, who sustained a hamstring injury during the game. Mayfield went to Egbuka often as the rookie led the way with six catches for 85 yards. Sterling Shepard also had a big game with four catches for 80 yards, and running back Bucky Irving had four receptions for 33 yards.
Mayfield went 19-29 for 233 yards passing and a touchdown, and he only took one sack. He rushed for 44 yards on four carries, and that included a 33-yard run during the game.
Evans had four catches for 33 yards before he left the game, and he could leave a void for Mayfield going forward. In three games played, Evans has 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Mayfield has 616 yards passing and six touchdowns versus no interceptions thus far, and he hasn’t relied solely on Evans. Egbuka leads the Buccaneers receivers with 14 receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns, and Shepard has 11 catches for 153 yards.
After three nail-biters against teams that are all off to slow starts, the Buccaneers get a major test in Week 4 with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
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