The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting to get hot at the right time, and quarterback Baker Mayfield thinks his squad can be dangerous in the playoffs as a result.
“We’re improving at the right time,” Mayfield told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “All we have to do is get into the playoffs. After that, anything can happen. I think our guys are realizing that. We’re really improving on offense, and we’re making the plays that we need to. That’s what you really look for. Finding a way to win these late-season games is really all it comes down to.”
Mayfield makes a good point.
Sometimes, all a team needs to do is get to the postseason, and it can make a run. We have seen it happen in the past, so maybe the Buccaneers can represent another example of it?
Let’s be honest: no one is going to pick Tampa Bay to achieve much of anything if it makes the playoffs, especially not in an NFC that includes the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. But it’s not like the Bucs are scrubs.
Mayfield has had one heck of a resurgence this season, throwing for 3,315 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 63.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 94.7.
Mayfield’s career appeared to be almost dead in the water last year, as he split 2022 between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams and totaled 10 touchdowns and eight picks in 12 games and 10 starts.
However, the 28-year-od has seen a revitalization in 2023, and the Buccaneers are contending for a surprising playoff berth as a result.
Mayfield, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He spent four years with the Browns, producing mixed results.
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs are 7-7 and sit in first place in the NFC South. They will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.
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