The Tampa Bay Bucs are currently ranked fourth in the NFC playoff standings with a 7-7 record. At the moment, they would play host to the Dallas Cowboys, who have already secured a postseason berth and, at 10-5, actually own a better record than them. But that’s the benefit of being in charge of their division.
The Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons were tied for first place in the NFC South division three weeks ago. Tampa Bay had led the division by the end of that game, when Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers down the field and, with only 31 seconds left, found Cade Otton for an 11-yard touchdown pass to seal a comeback victory.
The Bucs then defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, two more teams vying for a postseason spot, by a combined margin of two touchdowns or more, and they returned to winning records for the first time since Week 6. The majority of that can be attributed to Mayfield’s outstanding performance, as he has completed 76% of his passes for 664 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Can Baker Mayfield be good enough to lead the Buccaneers in the playoffs?
Without a doubt, Mayfield had a season akin to a comeback, winning over many of his doubters who had followed him throughout his career. However, the majority of those criticisms were valid, which is why many have questioned the Buccaneers’ seriousness about making the playoffs with Mayfield at quarterback.
Mayfield is 39-45 as a starter in the regular season, but he is 1-1 in the playoffs. His only two games were in the Wild Card round of 2021, when he assisted the Cleveland Browns in defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers for their first postseason victory since 1994. But the following week, the eventual AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, would defeat the Browns. But over those two games, Mayfield’s stats are impressive: he completed 62% of his passes for 467 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Mayfield’s maturity and his ability to take criticism well, overcome hardship, and make wise decisions have always been in doubt. He has already matched his lowest interception total of the season with eight, and he is currently at his best completion percentage (64.3) while also expected to match or surpass his single-season totals of touchdowns (27) and passing yards (3,827).
The pressure hasn’t been nearly as high for the former Oklahoma Sooner since moving to Tampa Bay. But 15 games with just one game above.500 while competing in a weak division hardly justifies Mayfield and the Bucs to be named Super Bowl contenders. Both still have a lot to prove.
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