Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is in the midst of a career renaissance.
Sunday against the reigning NFC North champion Detroit Lions, Mayfield’s gutty performance, including a pair of 11-yard runs on consecutive snaps, including one for the eventual game-winning touchdown of a 20-16 Buccaneers victory at Ford Field, proved instrumental to Tampa Bay’s success.
There has been a tangible uptick both in Mayfield’s consistency and his confidence since his arrival with the Buccaneers prior to last season, and he has found a home in an offense that includes electrifying playmakers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver.
Former Buccaneers Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson says the key to Mayfield’s resurgence has been easy to see from the outside.
“Right now, Baker’s playing with true confidence, very similar to when he was at Oklahoma.” Johnson told me Sunday evening following the Buccaneers’ latest victory. “He’s making decisive decisions and throwing the ball with authority.
“Baker had the big-time scramble for a touchdown against the Lions that was the difference in winning the game, and you could just see the true jubilation in the celebration what it meant to him.”
How Baker Mayfield is Elevating Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It hasn’t mattered whether it was former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales calling the plays, or through the first two weeks this season Lim Coen at the helm, Mayfield is playing the best football of his career.
Through the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, Mayfield is one of the league’s most prolific passers, with a 73.5 completion percentage for 474 passing yards with five passing touchdowns to just one interception along with a scorching 129.1 passer rating.
Most importantly for Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers are 2-0. And, through his first 19 games in his new home, Mayfield has led the Bucs to an 11-8 record.
Freed from the dysfunction of the Cleveland Browns, who chose him No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft and after brief stints in a backup role with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield and the Buccaneers have become an ideal pairing that is paying major dividends.
“You can just tell right now that Baker has the team and organization that believes in him,” Johnson explained. “And he doesn’t have to second-guess the way he’s playing.”
