The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came off second best in a Thursday Night Football classic in Week 5.
Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo drilled a game-tying 52-yard field goal as time expired to level the score at 30-30 before quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 45-yard scoring pass to KhaDarel Hodge that gave Atlanta an improbable 36-30 overtime victory.
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Bucs QB Baker Mayfield went 19-for-24 on his passing attempts for 180 yards and three touchdowns, and later admitted he let this one slip away.
“All I care about is wins,” he said. “I’ve got to find a way to finish that game out on offense.”
Mayfield's efforts to get pumped before the game ultimately fell short, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.
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The veteran field general, who wore a Kobe Bryant Team USA shirt while entering the stadium, went viral as he watched Mike Tyson highlights on his phone inside the locker room before the game.
"Getting himself up hepped up watching Mike Tyson videos in his locker," a surprised Al Michaels said on the Amazon Prime broadcast.
"Name a quarterback in the history of the NFL that to get his mind right...is watching Mike Tyson," Kirk Herbstreit replied.
"Don't forget, he was headbutting guys in Carolina on their helmets with his bare head," Michaels joked.
"Baker is so awesome man," commented one fan.
“I LOVE BAKER MAYFIELD! my dawg watching Mike Tyson highlights pregame. He a f**king dawg!” another posted on X.
A third joked: "It would only be right if Mike Tyson watches Baker Mayfield highlights in the locker room before his fight with Jake Paul on November 15th."
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The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick has long admired both Bryant and Tyson.
When Mayfield was in Cleveland in 2018, the late, great Los Angeles Lakers icon paid a visit to the Browns’ team hotel before a game.
“He’s just one of those guys, attitude-wise, there’s no one else in the world like him,” Mayfield said of Bryant at the time. “He was one of my idols growing up, I’m not good at basketball so not like that, but just mentality-wise. Work ethic, determination, will to win.”
Tunnel footage shows Baker Mayfield's secret weapon of smelling salts for torching the Philadelphia Eagles
Mayfield also discussed his admiration for the sporting legends in 2021.
"It’s the type of sick, twisted mindset that I’ve idolized — guys like Kobe and Mike Tyson, people that when they have their back against the wall, the best comes out and you see what somebody’s made of," he explained.
Baker is certainly no stranger to unorthodox pregame rituals.
Before the wild-card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, the 29-year-old appeared to use smelling salts as he made the short walk from the Bucs' locker room to the field.
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His pre-kickoff pick me up did not go unnoticed by eagle-eyed NFL fans.
"Baker Mayfield just ripping smelling salts outta the tunnel. Absolute FOOTBALL guy," one fan wrote on X.
"Game was over at that moment!" replied another.
The ammonia-based inhalant is manufactured for treating or preventing fainting but they have been embraced by NFL stars in recent years for their adrenaline-pumping side effects.
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Although the use of smelling salts in sports is not generally thought to be dangerous, experts still don't recommend them, in part because there's no proven benefit.
Still, they seemed to work for Mayfield, who torched a lacklustre Eagles secondary, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a surprise 32-9 victory.
He became the first Bucs QB in history with 300+ yards passing and three-plus pass TDs in a playoff game.
The Bucs subsequently fell to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round, but Mayfield was rewarded with a three-year, $100-million contract this offseason for his impressive performances.
He has thrown for 1,164 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
The Buccaneers have a 3-2 record through Week 5, level with the Falcons and one game ahead of the Saints (2-2) in the NFC South.
