Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield continued to impress this past Sunday, going 26-for-35 with 283 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Afterward, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles raved about how well Mayfield has been playing when it counts.
“He’s been outstanding,” Bowles said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “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.”
Tampa Bay has won four games in a row thanks much in part to the superb play of Mayfield, who has totaled nine touchdowns and just one interception throughout the month of December.
On the season overall, Mayfield has thrown for 3,598 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks while completing 64.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 96.2.
The 2023 campaign has represented a massive resurgence for Mayfield, who split last season between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams and accumulated 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Not only that, but Mayfield struggled mightily during his final season with the Cleveland Browns in 2021, resulting in the Browns trading him to the Panthers that ensuing summer.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by Cleveland with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Browns, with his best year coming in 2020 when he finished with 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks, leading Cleveland to its first playoff appearance since the 2002-03 campaign.
Mayfield is currently on a one-year deal with the Bucs and has almost certainly played himself into a multi-year contract this coming offseason, whether that is with the Buccaneers or another team.
But right now, Baker Mayfield is obviously focused on Tampa Bay. The Bucs improved to 8-7 with their win over the Jaguars and are now in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers will battle the New Orleans Saints in a pivotal divisional matchup next week before wrapping up the regular season with the Carolina Panthers.
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