Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield took a shot to the ribs late in his team’s loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but head coach Todd Bowles provided a positive update on him Monday.
While speaking to reporters, Bowles said that Mayfield is “fine” and will probably play in the Buccaneers’ pivotal Week 18 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Mayfield underwent X-rays on his ribs, and they came back negative. He seems to just be dealing with general soreness.
Tampa Bay could have clinched the NFC South division title with a win over the Saints this past weekend, but instead, the club put forth a listless effort, falling behind 20-0. The Bucs scored a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns, but by then, it was too late. They ended up losing 23-13.
While New Orleans tied the Buccaneers at 8-8, the good news for Mayfield and Co. is that they are still in first place in the division by way of the tiebreaker. So, as long as Tampa Bay beats the Panthers next Sunday, it will win the NFC South regardless of what the Saints do against the Atlanta Falcons.
Mayfield went 22-for-33 with 309 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions against New Orleans.
On the season overall, the 28-year-old has thrown for 3,907 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 picks while completing 64.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 95.9.
It has been one heck of a resurgent campaign for Mayfield, whose NFL career appeared to be on life support last year when he split the season between the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, finishing with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
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 the first four years of his career with the Browns and was maddeningly inconsistent, leading to Cleveland trading him to Carolina in July 2022.
Baker Mayfield will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
