All might not be lost for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Just one day after Mayfield injured his left, non-throwing shoulder in 34-7 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Buccaneers weren’t ready to say Mayfield would have to miss games due to the injury.
“Pre MRI, the Buccaneers believe Baker Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, per sources. There was no fracture and no structural damage. One source said the Buccaneers ‘are not ruling out’ Mayfield for Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Monday, November 24. “But today’s MRI will tell more.”
Mayfield appeared to hurt his shoulder for the first time against the Rams on a run in the first half then again on a failed Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half — a Hail Mary attempt that came with the Buccaneers trailing 31-7.
“Todd Bowles and the Bucs should have pulled Baker Mayfield in the 2nd Qtr,” The Team 980’s Chris Russell wrote on X. “The game was decided. Before he got hurt for the game. He should be treated differently than other starters … Criminal… Malpractice… “
Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played the entire second half and Mayfield eventually came out to the sideline in street clothes and with his left arm in a sling.
“Baker Mayfield will have an MRI on his left shoulder this afternoon,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account. “The thought is it could be an AC joint sprain but we will see.”
Buccaneers Slide Puts Them in First Place Tie
Mayfield’s injury brought to a close a rough month for the Buccaneers. The loss to the Rams was their third consecutive defeat, dropped their record to 6-5 overall. It also dropped them into a first place tie with the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South Division.
Tampa Bay has been without 3 NFL All-Pro players on offense for almost all of their games this season.
NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs missed the first 3 games following offseason knee surgery. NFL All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans has missed 7 games with a hamstring injury and a broken collarbone, and it’s not clear when he’ll return.
NFL All-Pro Chris Godwin has missed 8 games due to problems with his previously injured fibula and returned for the game against the Rams after missing the last 5 games. He finished with just 2 receptions for 9 yards.
Running back Bucky Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2024, has missed the last 7 games due to a shoulder injury but is projected to return to the lineup for Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Breaking Down Rest of Schedule for Bucs
While things don’t look great right now, the rest of the Buccaneers schedule is incredibly forgiving and going 12-5 isn’t out of the question.
In the final 6 games of the regular season, the Buccaneers only have 2 games against a team with winning records. Both of those games are against the Panthers, who have an identical 6-5 record to the Buccaneers.
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