Fear not, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. Baker Mayfield will be available this Sunday.
While speaking to reporters on Friday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield will play in the team’s critical Week 18 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Mayfield has been dealing with a rib issue and was limited in practice on Thursday. He initially suffered the injury after taking a hard hit from New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu while attempting a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay’s loss to the Saints last weekend. The star quarterback said after the game that X-rays were negative but that he was sore.
The Bucs could have clinched the NFC South division title with a win over New Orleans in Week 17, but it ended up putting forth a lifeless effort in a 23-13 defeat. Mayfield went 22-for-33 with 309 yards, a couple of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the loss.
The good news is that the Buccaneers will get a mulligan. All they need to do is beat the Panthers on Sunday, and they will capture the division crown.
Mayfield has had one heck of a resurgent season, as he 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.
This comes one year after the 28-year-old’s NFL career appeared to be on life support. Mayfield split the 2022 campaign between the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, compiling 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, is set to be a free agent at the end of the year and should be one of the top commodities on the open market based on his 2023 production.
Of course, right now, Baker Mayfield’s sights are solely on getting the job done against Carolina.
Tampa Bay is 8-8 and is aiming to make its fourth straight playoff appearance.
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