Led By An “Outstanding” Baker Mayfield, Bucs Have Life

‘Twas the evening before Christmas, when all through the home venue

Not a fan was unhappy, as the Baker Mayfield-Mike Evans duo was the top dish on the menu.

Or something like that.

After the Bucs’ latest win on Sunday over the Jaguars at Raymond James Stadium, a lot of their late-season resurgence is owed to the play of the team’s starting quarterback as he is starting to look like a difference-maker. Over the past two weeks, Baker Mayfield has completed 48-of-63 passes (76.2%) for 664 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.

At this point of the season, teams rise and fall out of the playoff picture based on quarterback play, and Mayfield is rising to the occasion as Tampa Bay has gone from likely letting some cast members go to raising the sails and going forward on a playoff expedition.

Todd Bowles Shares His Thoughts On QB Baker Mayfield’s Recent Play

Following the team’s 30-12 win at home, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles shared his thoughts on how Baker Mayfield has taken his play to another level in wins over the Packers and Jaguars.

“He’s been outstanding,” Bowles said. “He’s been outstanding in December – that’s what you want from your quarterback in December. Everybody knows each other’s plays right about now, but when you’re trying to make a push and your quarterback is playing great, it gives you a chance.”

It started at Lambeau Field last week when Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-20 win and a performance that won him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. But while that was the highlight reel game, he has been winning all month. It has been a tale of two Mayfield’s over the past four games, as it was his gritty play that helped guide Tampa Bay to wins over the Panthers and Falcons.

They were not his best games as he failed to complete 50% of his passes in either contest, but he did enough to lead the team to close victories.

“By any means necessary, we are trying to find a way to win,” Mayfield said after Sunday’s game. “Anybody can help us out. We have a lot of guys that we trust, that we count on. And however it plays out, it’s good for us. So, we know that anybody and everybody can step up for us.”

Now the Bucs have begun to step up and separate themselves within the NFC South led by the veteran quarterback. On Sunday against the Jaguars, Baker Mayfield was again efficient, completing 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns to Mike Evans. He has looked comfortable in the pocket and the offense as a whole appears to have reached the vision offensive coordinator Dave Canales foresaw before the season.

Baker Mayfield Is Starting To Let It Rip

As he is starting to show mastery of Dave Canales’ offense and connecting with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at the same time, Baker Mayfield is having no problem directing the Bucs’ offense like a point guard and putting points up. One thing that sticks out to me when looking at the level of production on offense this season is consistency.

Last year, it was a bumpy road navigating to the playoffs as just about every win was a struggle. This year, Canales is starting to click the right buttons. In seven of the past eight games, the offense has scored 20 points or more and the team is 5-3 during that span.

“We’re just more on the same page,” Mayfield said. “I think we’ve improved that much.” It’s hard to argue with that assessment based on everyone’s play on offense starting to improve. A lot of it comes down to trust with his wide receivers. “Absolutely, and that comes with each game rep in this new system as we are learning each other – learning body language in and out of routes and understanding that,” Mayfield added.

He isn’t the only one trusting the process. Dave Canales has reiterated that results would not be immediate, but the fruits of his plan have started to blossom. It’s truly starting to look like “It’s a Wonderful Bucs Life.”

Bucs’ Offense Is Led by Dave Canales And A Fiery “Little Guy”

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs discussed what he thinks of the first-year play-caller after the game. After some early-season struggles, Canales stuck with his guns and it is paying off in a big way in the second half.

“I love Coach Canales,” Wirfs said. “I think we kind of showed that – I was saying it for weeks, we’re putting emphasis on the run game, we’re doing our best to get it fixed.

“It wasn’t going there for a while, but we stuck with it and we came out the other side kind of rolling. We just got to keep it rolling and do what works. I got complete trust in coach Canales and I love him to death.”

It has taken resolve and resiliency to change the story of this team, and while some may have jumped off the Baker Mayfield bandwagon when the Bucs were struggling, Wirfs has been in full support of his quarterback from the beginning.

“I bought in from day one,” Wirfs added. “The first time I met him was in the weight room, he just said ‘What’s up?’ to me and I was like, ‘I like this guy.’ I don’t know, he’s just fun to be around, he’s fun to compete with. Fun to play with. Incredible person and an incredible player. I don’t know, I was on the – I jumped on the bandwagon right off the bat so, it didn’t take much for me.”

With Baker Mayfield and the rest of the team playing with their backs against the wall, they have responded. Led by a gritty quarterback, that trait is something that has resonated with the rest of the roster.

Wirfs agrees: “Just fight, I think that’s a good identity for us. Of course, with 6 [Baker Mayfield] over there, he’s a little guy, but he’s fiery.”