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This past offseason, quarterback Baker Mayfield signed a one-year $4 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield was a football nomad over the past 12 months, moving from Cleveland to Carolina and then Los Angeles, before signing with Tampa Bay to try and fill the shoes vacated by Tom Brady.
While few looked at the subsequent training camp battle between Mayfield and Kyle Trask with much interest, it was Mayfield who emerged the winner of that heavyweight bout, earning the starting job for Week 1. Since then, Mayfield and the Buccaneers are 2-0, and Mayfield has completed 69.1% of his throws this season for 490 yards and 3 touchdowns, without throwing an interception.
Baker Mayfield's QBR of 66.4 through two games is tenth in the league, just behind the 66.7 mark posted by Patrick Mahomes, and Mayfield’s Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 7.91 is fifth-best in the league. Again, this could be more of a story woven by the NFL scheduling gods.
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Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers have a tough schedule ahead
Tampa Bay’s next five games are against the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and the Buffalo Bills, which will be tough games to get a good result.
However, if the Buccaneers can continue to employ the current formula that’s got them sitting in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South over these next five weeks, then we may just have to reshuffle and reevaluate the contenders list in the NFC.
Perhaps Baker Mayfield's early-season success is more a product of the defenses in Chicago and Minnesota than it is the offense down in Tampa Bay. But spinning through Mayfield’s first two games it seems one factor in particular is working for the Buccaneers’ offense.
Mayfield looks at ease at times in Tampa Bay’s offense, and that was on display both in Week 1 at Minnesota and in Week 2 against the Bears.
Timing, rhythm, and anticipation were not a hallmark of Mayfield’s game coming out of Oklahoma, but the QB we have seen the past two weeks looks like a passer who can count on those traits when it matters.
Baker Mayfield is quite optimistic about the Buccaneers' offense and feels like it is well-suited for the success of the team. Speaking to Reggie Roberts of Sportskeeda, the Buccaneers quarterback commented:
“When we grow in this offense, continue to get better and better, we’re going to be able to do whatever we want,” Mayfield said. “Teams can game plan however they want against us, they can roll coverage over to (wide receiver) Mike (Evans), but that means (wide receiver) Chris (Godwin) is going to have a one-on-one."
Baker Mayfield also said:
"Or (tight end) Cade (Otton) or (wide receiver) Trey Palmer, who has made a lot of plays for us. Or (wide receiver) Devin Thompkins. Can’t forget about the checkdowns to our backs, they are so good with the ball in their hands. We’ve got a really good skill group and the offensive line continues to play really well. So, we just must keep growing as a unit.”
Tampa Bay (2-0) will host Philadelphia (2-0) in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football on September 25. Kickoff from Raymond James Stadium is set for 7:15 pm EST.
NFC teams' stunning start to season has surprised many in the NFL
Professional football experts and observers are befuddled at what’s taken place within the National Football League during the first two weekends of the 2023 season.
Seven teams from the National Football Conference (NFC) are 2-0 including three teams from the vaunted NFC East (Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington), three from the upstart NFC South (Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay), and one from the NFC West (San Francisco 49ers), which participated in the last season’s NFC Championship Game.
Perhaps the most perplexing aspect concerning the current NFL standings is the fact that four of the five teams who find themselves currently sitting at 0-2 were playoff participants a year ago. That list includes the Cincinnati Bengals, the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Minnesota Vikings, and the New England Patriots.
One NFC general manager whose team is 1-1 after two weeks spoke to Reggie Roberts and expressed how surprised he was with the dominance of NFC teams this season. He said:
“If you would have told me before the season started that the NFC would have more undefeated teams after the first two weeks than the AFC, I would have hung up on you."
"Don’t misunderstand. It’s a long season. All the teams who have started slowly can turn things around. That’s why our game and our League is so damn popular. No one knows what’s going to happen from one week to the next…I think the biggest surprise – in my view – is that four of the five who are 0-2 were in the playoffs last year.”
There is no doubt that the AFC is a much more stacked division than the NFC, but with things that have transpired in the first two weeks, some surprises might happen this season.
As for the NFC South, currently, the New Orleans Saints are still the favorites to win the division, but it will be interesting to see how Baker Mayfield continues to lead his team.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Reggie Roberts and Sportskeeda.
