Monday night’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens started off pretty well, with Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield leading his team to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But it went south as he threw two interceptions and saw his team fall behind by as many as 23 points.
The final score of 41-31 did not indicate how lopsided Monday’s loss was to the Buccaneers. Especially considering they lost key wide receiver threats Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to injuries.
Analyst Ben Maller said on Fox Sports Radio that he believes Mayfield is regressing.
@Ben Mahler: “The Bakers regression is happening right in front of my schnoz… We saw a mistake-prone version that left the Browns in a cloud of dust.” pic.twitter.com/jlRbIT0hUq
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) October 22, 2024
Mayfield was the Cleveland Browns’ No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, and some believed he would be the Browns’ savior after decades of bad luck.
However, he was never together for them during his four seasons with them, and was traded to the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 offseason.
After subpar minutes with the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams during the 2022 season, he headed to Tampa Bay, and this seemed like his last chance to prove himself.
And he proved that he was, throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns and leading the Bucs to the NFC South title and earning his first Pro Bowl nod in a blowout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
This year, Mayfield has thrown 18 touchdown passes and completed 70.5% of his pass attempts, but he has also been intercepted seven times in seven games.
With a 4-3 record, Tampa Bay shares the best record in the division with the Atlanta Falcons, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after beating Tampa Bay in Week 5.
next:
Baker Mayfield opens up about Chris Godwin’s injury.
