Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to their normal practice schedule following their bye week and this team seems to be set for the remainder of their season. A season that has had high-highs for the Bucs, but currently has them in a low-point, in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Through eleven weeks, the Buccaneers offense is their strong point- even with the injuries they’ve encountered and will continue to deal with. The loss of Chris Godwin in a contract year, as he was leading the league in yards, can’t be measured. Although Mike Evans also missed three games, the duo of Evans and Godwin elevates this offense to one of the best there is, as they presented during the first seven weeks.
The defense has had their lackluster performances and will be blamed by many fans as to why this team has struggled, while the offense has had chances to win games and have fallen just short multiple times. The losses, and coming up just short, against teams like Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta shouldn’t be looked at as season-ending or completely negative. Missing key players, while also going up against the league’s best team will set you back, but when you fight until the end and gain valuable experience against Super Bowl caliber teams, these can be valuable games for many young Bucs’ players.
But week-in and week-out, the common denominator that has consistently instilled confidence and energy into the entirety of the team has been none other than QB Baker Mayfield. His outstanding stats we’ll review in this article, but the natural leader that Mayfield is, has been displayed on a national level so far this season. The former first overall pick in the NFL Draft hadn’t had the perfect start to his career, but halfway through year seven, it seems as if Baker Mayfield is exactly where he should be, as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Let’s take a dive into his season by the numbers, dissecting Mayfield’s 2024 stat line through the team’s bye week:
2505 Passing Yards
Highlighted by four 300-yard passing games, Baker Mayfield has found consistent success in moving the ball down the field. Three out of four of those performances came with his top receiving duo, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, prior to injury. Liam Coen and this Tampa Bay offense hit the ground running in the offensive coordinators first season in Tampa Bay and have kept a steady flow of success, mostly in the passing game.
With 2505 passing yards, it ranks Mayfield ninth so far this season, with a few players above him that still have their bye week coming up. It goes to show what Mayfield can do in an offense catered to him, not relying on him to make the “Superman-type” plays, although we’ve seen a few unbelievable plays from the Bucs’ QB.
We’ll see what the remainder of the season brings for Mayfield, after his past two performances haven’t been ones that saw many passing yards for Tampa Bay. But with Mike Evans returning from a hamstring injury, the hope is that Evans will open up opportunities for the young, upcoming receivers to have a chance to shine.
24 Passing Touchdowns
Tampa Bay and the offense have seen an uptick in passing touchdowns out of Baker Mayfield. After throwing 28 passing touchdowns in his first year in Tampa, he’s already on track to fly past last year’s mark, which was a career-high for him.
With 24 touchdowns thrown through the first eleven weeks, Mayfield ranks third in the league, only trailing Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. With both of those QB’s still facing their bye week, if Mayfield is able to keep up his success, there is a realistic chance Mayfield could end this 2024 season as the league’s passing touchdown leader. There’s still a lot of football left to be played, but this Bucs’ offense hasn’t been easy to stop.
We’ve seen down-the-field passing TDs, passing TDs right inside of the red zone, as well as passing TDs right on the goal-line. The design of this offense has caught many teams by surprise and the way Liam Coen and Baker Mayfield use the passing game, it’s almost like an extension of the rushing attack, with short screens and even shuffle passes to tight ends, the possibilities are endless as to how Mayfield can continue racking up passing touchdowns and set a new career-high.
9 Interceptions
In an offense that has such high volumes of passing, interceptions are going to happen. Whether it’s pressure given up by the O-Line, a bad read from Mayfield or a mishap with one of his receivers, turnovers have come in all different ways so far for this Bucs squad.
With a three-INT game in New Orleans, matched with a pair of two-INT games, seven out of the nine picks have come in three games alone. Mayfield and the offense have been good at protecting the ball in general, but when one happens, they must build the mental toughness to overcome it and continue protecting the ball like they have in games without turnovers.
As Mike Evans returns for the remainder of the season without Chris Godwin, it must be a talking point to not look down Evans and make it obvious to opposing defenses when he is being targeted. We’ve seen it before, from not only Mayfield but other Tampa Bay QB’s who have stared down Evans and paid the price for it. Expect for Mike to demand targets every week this 2024 season, but Mayfield and the offense have to continue to play turnover-free football.
70.6% Completion Percentage
Efficiency has been a key reason these Bucs have had success through the air. Not huge, down-the-field plays every week, but consistent yardage, screens and just finding the right guys open have been top contributors to the solid completion numbers.
A 70.6 completion percentage sits Mayfield at the top of the league, ranking third among QBs with over 100 pass attempts, and if he can continue successfully getting the ball to his receivers, this is yet another statistical category that Baker could rise above the rest and finish first at year’s end.
Losing a sure-handed receiver like Godwin, you would expect for the QB’s stats to dive off, especially completion percentage. But with Evans returning and the other receivers having the added experience in this offense due to their absence, both Cade Otton and Sterling Shepard should continue to see their increase in targets and help Mayfield boost his percentage even higher.
Overall, it’s been quite an exciting season for a franchise who isn’t used to having a quarterback that ranks among league highs in top categories. Baker Mayfield is in year one of his three year contract and it’s now looking like a steal for the Bucs, compared to the contracts of some of the league’s other QBs, who aren’t having positive seasons, statistically or in their team’s record.
Baker and the Bucs have to win a few more games before even he would consider this season a success, already telling reporters he would trade his high statistics for wins in an instant. With the team facing the league’s hardest schedule to date, and Tampa Bay holding the easiest remaining schedule, a few more wins before the season’s end should be expected. With Carolina twice and the Giants coming up, these are games that the Bucs will have to dominate and show the league they aren’t as bad as their four-game losing streak demonstrates.
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to their normal practice schedule following their bye week and this team seems to be set for the remainder of their season. A season that has had high-highs for the Bucs, but currently has them in a low-point, in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Through eleven weeks, the Buccaneers offense is their strong point- even with the injuries they’ve encountered and will continue to deal with. The loss of Chris Godwin in a contract year, as he was leading the league in yards, can’t be measured. Although Mike Evans also missed three games, the duo of Evans and Godwin elevates this offense to one of the best there is, as they presented during the first seven weeks.
The defense has had their lackluster performances and will be blamed by many fans as to why this team has struggled, while the offense has had chances to win games and have fallen just short multiple times. The losses, and coming up just short, against teams like Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta shouldn’t be looked at as season-ending or completely negative. Missing key players, while also going up against the league’s best team will set you back, but when you fight until the end and gain valuable experience against Super Bowl caliber teams, these can be valuable games for many young Bucs’ players.
But week-in and week-out, the common denominator that has consistently instilled confidence and energy into the entirety of the team has been none other than QB Baker Mayfield. His outstanding stats we’ll review in this article, but the natural leader that Mayfield is, has been displayed on a national level so far this season. The former first overall pick in the NFL Draft hadn’t had the perfect start to his career, but halfway through year seven, it seems as if Baker Mayfield is exactly where he should be, as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Let’s take a dive into his season by the numbers, dissecting Mayfield’s 2024 stat line through the team’s bye week:
2505 Passing Yards
Highlighted by four 300-yard passing games, Baker Mayfield has found consistent success in moving the ball down the field. Three out of four of those performances came with his top receiving duo, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, prior to injury. Liam Coen and this Tampa Bay offense hit the ground running in the offensive coordinators first season in Tampa Bay and have kept a steady flow of success, mostly in the passing game.
With 2505 passing yards, it ranks Mayfield ninth so far this season, with a few players above him that still have their bye week coming up. It goes to show what Mayfield can do in an offense catered to him, not relying on him to make the “Superman-type” plays, although we’ve seen a few unbelievable plays from the Bucs’ QB.
We’ll see what the remainder of the season brings for Mayfield, after his past two performances haven’t been ones that saw many passing yards for Tampa Bay. But with Mike Evans returning from a hamstring injury, the hope is that Evans will open up opportunities for the young, upcoming receivers to have a chance to shine.
24 Passing Touchdowns
Tampa Bay and the offense have seen an uptick in passing touchdowns out of Baker Mayfield. After throwing 28 passing touchdowns in his first year in Tampa, he’s already on track to fly past last year’s mark, which was a career-high for him.
With 24 touchdowns thrown through the first eleven weeks, Mayfield ranks third in the league, only trailing Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. With both of those QB’s still facing their bye week, if Mayfield is able to keep up his success, there is a realistic chance Mayfield could end this 2024 season as the league’s passing touchdown leader. There’s still a lot of football left to be played, but this Bucs’ offense hasn’t been easy to stop.
We’ve seen down-the-field passing TDs, passing TDs right inside of the red zone, as well as passing TDs right on the goal-line. The design of this offense has caught many teams by surprise and the way Liam Coen and Baker Mayfield use the passing game, it’s almost like an extension of the rushing attack, with short screens and even shuffle passes to tight ends, the possibilities are endless as to how Mayfield can continue racking up passing touchdowns and set a new career-high.
9 Interceptions
In an offense that has such high volumes of passing, interceptions are going to happen. Whether it’s pressure given up by the O-Line, a bad read from Mayfield or a mishap with one of his receivers, turnovers have come in all different ways so far for this Bucs squad.
With a three-INT game in New Orleans, matched with a pair of two-INT games, seven out of the nine picks have come in three games alone. Mayfield and the offense have been good at protecting the ball in general, but when one happens, they must build the mental toughness to overcome it and continue protecting the ball like they have in games without turnovers.
As Mike Evans returns for the remainder of the season without Chris Godwin, it must be a talking point to not look down Evans and make it obvious to opposing defenses when he is being targeted. We’ve seen it before, from not only Mayfield but other Tampa Bay QB’s who have stared down Evans and paid the price for it. Expect for Mike to demand targets every week this 2024 season, but Mayfield and the offense have to continue to play turnover-free football.
70.6% Completion Percentage
Efficiency has been a key reason these Bucs have had success through the air. Not huge, down-the-field plays every week, but consistent yardage, screens and just finding the right guys open have been top contributors to the solid completion numbers.
A 70.6 completion percentage sits Mayfield at the top of the league, ranking third among QBs with over 100 pass attempts, and if he can continue successfully getting the ball to his receivers, this is yet another statistical category that Baker could rise above the rest and finish first at year’s end.
Losing a sure-handed receiver like Godwin, you would expect for the QB’s stats to dive off, especially completion percentage. But with Evans returning and the other receivers having the added experience in this offense due to their absence, both Cade Otton and Sterling Shepard should continue to see their increase in targets and help Mayfield boost his percentage even higher.
Overall, it’s been quite an exciting season for a franchise who isn’t used to having a quarterback that ranks among league highs in top categories. Baker Mayfield is in year one of his three year contract and it’s now looking like a steal for the Bucs, compared to the contracts of some of the league’s other QBs, who aren’t having positive seasons, statistically or in their team’s record.
Baker and the Bucs have to win a few more games before even he would consider this season a success, already telling reporters he would trade his high statistics for wins in an instant. With the team facing the league’s hardest schedule to date, and Tampa Bay holding the easiest remaining schedule, a few more wins before the season’s end should be expected. With Carolina twice and the Giants coming up, these are games that the Bucs will have to dominate and show the league they aren’t as bad as their four-game losing streak demonstrates.
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