-
Jenna Lin, ESPN staff writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Fresh out of the injury tent and trying to preserve a four-point lead over the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield lowered his shoulder and threw himself at cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
It was the Bucs franchise QB trying to set the tone as running back Bucky Irving made the handoff for a 31-yard gain. Mayfield would find tight end Cade Otton five plays later for an 8-yard touchdown.
On the play he was injured, Mayfield spun in and out of a potential sack by cornerback Alontae Taylor, but fell flat on his stomach after his foot collided with defensive end Carl Granderson.
The NFL’s all-time touchdown leader through the first six weeks of the season may have gotten wind of it on that play, but he bounced back just as he did in Tampa all season long — through injuries, losses and adversity.
Now, the Bucs (4-2) are preparing for a big test on “Monday Night Football” (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+) when they host the Baltimore Ravens (4-2), but so far, it’s been… Their calling cards are their versatility on offense through coordinator Liam Quinn’s constant moves and turnovers, as well as aggression on defense through coach Todd Bowles’ elaborate attacking packages.
On a deeper level, their identity was their “resilience,” according to Bowles.
While he joked Thursday about Mayfield looking like Rocky Balboa after the QB was described as showing “tenacity” and “determination” as a Scrambler, the idea was right. Mayfield is averaging 6.5 yards per carry when leaving the pocket, fifth-most in the league among quarterbacks with 20 or more rushes in Week 7.
Overall, Mayfield leads a group that has shown that it is very difficult to provoke losses, and the team embodies the unraveling of a QB and the heart of their coach.
Two major hurricanes affected the Tampa Bay area within 14 days, the second hurricane forced the evacuation of the entire team sending 300 members of the organization and their families along with 30 pets to New Orleans. Receiver Mike Evans said the Bucs were playing for something “bigger,” and in the week they had to practice at Tulane University, they were able to pull out a 51-27 win over the Saints.
“It was kind of weird,” said Tristan Wirfs, a Turkey tackle. “I mean we find out on a Sunday night or a Monday night and like, ‘Yes, we’re leaving on Tuesday.’ We’re like, ‘What do you mean?’ So, just this quick turnaround, like, ‘Pack your bags, pack your families, we’re going.’”
Whether it is or not Whether that evacuation set the tone for a chaotic second quarter is up for debate — as some Bucs players say the Saints were teasing them — it certainly didn’t help their circumstances in a crucial game in which they fell to 0-2 in the NFC South would be less than ideal.
“I mean, it’s a sudden change. This is part of football, this is part of life,” Bowles said. “You’re going to have things happen every day that you’re going to have to make adjustments to, and you’re going to have to maintain your composure when you do them.”
After jumping out to a 17-0 lead, things unfolded quickly. Mayfield threw three interceptions — two were thwarted — and Rasheed Shahid returned Jake Camarda’s punt 54 yards for a touchdown. The Bucs also had seven penalties in those 15 minutes, with chants of “Who dat! Who dat!” They swept the Caesars Superdome as they headed to the locker room by a score of 27-24.
“(Bulls) told us, ‘Just keep your composure. They can’t beat us,'” defensive back Tavier Thomas said.
“It comes down to guys being able to hit the reset button, knowing it’s a tough game and saying, ‘Hey, if we do our job, we’ll be OK.’ Having a ‘one play at a time’ mentality,” Mayfield added.
The Bulls’ behavior resonated with his coaching staff and players, and he made technical adjustments to put pressure on the pocket so that quarterback Spencer Rattler couldn’t escape.
They stopped dropping their outside players into coverage. They began to run with the ball more while continuing to rely on their screen game.
“I mean if you see our coach on the bench, he’s pretty much the same the whole game,” Irving said. “It’s always nice to have a coach who stays calm and collected during times.”
Cornerback Zyon McCollum, who missed a tackle on KhaDarel Hodge’s game-winning 45-yard touchdown in overtime against the Falcons in Week 5, notched a crucial interception in the fourth quarter. The Bulls supported McCollum after the loss to Atlanta, saying that he played the ball correctly and shot the ball despite missing the tackle. His cool calm continued.
“It’s everything,” McCollum said of that support. “If I didn’t have confidence, if I didn’t play with confidence, I would be a completely different player.”
however The same consistency and resilience that has enabled the Bucs to pull off big wins against the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles this season, despite not being at full strength in any of those games.
Against Washington, they had to rely on backup safety/nickelback Christian Eisen as outside cornerback after McCollum, Bryce Hall and Josh Hayes all left the game with injuries. Last time Izien played outside corner? His second year of high school. He then spent the next four games at All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot).
They were also without starting right tackle Luke Goedeke for four games after he suffered a concussion in Week 1, as Mayfield had five sacks against the Lions but came away with a 20-16 win. By the end of that game, they were without defensive tackle Vita Via, who suffered an MCL sprain, as well as defensive tackle Kaleja Kansi, their 2023 first-round pick, who missed five games with a calf injury. They had to rely on backup Greg Gaines and the team called up CJ Brewer.
They got unexpected contributions from defensive lineman Logan Hall, who sacked Kirk Cousins twice in Week 5 and has three sacks this season after missing the opener with a foot injury.
Sean Tucker, their third lineman whose career was stifled by a heart condition caught in the NFL in 2023, had a career day against the Saints — rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown and adding 56 receiving yards and another score in his first extended action with an out. Rashad White due to a foot injury.
His counterpart, Irving, a 2024 fourth-round pick, currently leads the team with 328 yards rushing and is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
“You have to adapt. You have to adapt,” Bowles said of the injuries. “And players make the team for a reason. You have to know why you made your team and put them in a position to play. Everyone deals with that and everyone copes differently. We like where we are right now.”
Bowles’ defense will be tested by the Ravens, who lead the league with 453.7 yards per game. Baltimore is the only team to score more touchdowns than the Bucs (20) on offense at 21, and Jackson has been the catalyst as he continues to make a case to repeat as the NFL’s best player.
“First, you have to pray,” said Larry Foote, passing game coordinator/linebackers coach. “You just have to pray. You have to hope and you have to hope. It’s going to take a team effort — even (safety). Everyone’s got to be accountable for it. At the end of the day, when he steps back and decides to run, it’s going to be a challenge. And when it’s tackled, it’s simple “Then there will be a need for prayer.”
If the Bucs can escape with a win, they will be 5-2 heading into a rematch with the Falcons (4-3) in Week 8 and a chance to take home first place in the division on the line.
