Todd Bowles calls out Baker Bayfield as Bucs face elimination
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the season as the favorites to win the NFC South for the fifth straight year, but suffered a loss as they missed the playoffs.
Baker Mayfield found a home in Florida after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns and making pit stops with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
But with playoff hopes on the brink, head coach Todd Bowles was quick to point to the man considered the savior of this generation’s Bucs.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with head coach Todd Bowles before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)
“We’ve got to be better at the quarterback position, we’ve got to be better at the signal-caller position and we’ve got to block him better,” Bowles said after the Buccaneers’ 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins earlier this week.
After starting 7-5, the Bucs have lost four straight and need both a win against the aforementioned Panthers and a loss against the Atlanta Falcons to make the playoffs as the 8-9 division champions. With Saturday’s loss, Carolina would win the NFC South.
Baker Mayfield (6) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks off the field after the first half of the NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Monday, September 15, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Mayfield made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons with Tampa Bay, but this season will be his worst season with them to date. Mayfield, who had a 71.4 completion percentage with 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, now has 3,490 yards and 25 touchdowns, while his completion percentage has dropped to 62.8%.
Carolina beat the Bucs 23-20 two weeks ago for its first win over Tampa Bay in more than three years. The Panthers haven’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
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Bowles joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator after being fired as head coach of the New York Jets in 2018 and becomes head coach in 2022 following the retirement of Bruce Arians.
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