Getty Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are going to the playoffs.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially in the playoffs.
After defeating the Carolina Panthers, 9-0, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South division title for the third consecutive season. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve accomplished the feat.
Despite entering the season with the worst odds of all of the NFC South teams of winning the division, the Buccaneers managed to do so behind the play of Baker Mayfield. The veteran quarterback — who signed a one-year, $4 million deal during the offseason — commented on how the Buccaneers were able to make the playoffs despite being counted out before the season started and after they started out the year with a record of 4-7.
“We have a locker room full of guys that are comfortable being counted out,” said Mayfield on Sunday, January 7 during the postgame press conference. “It’s when we’re most comfortable. All we wanted was a chance to get in. Now we’re here, gotta handle it the right way.”
Buccaneers Entered Season With Low Expectations
Prior to the start of the season, the Buccaneers were given +800 odds of winning the division in comparison to the New Orleans Saints’ +125 odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Not only were the Buccaneers given bad odds to win the division, they were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. ESPN ranked them as the third-worst team in the NFL in their preseason power rankings.
The Buccaneers entered the season with nearly $80 million in dead cap hit money, the highest amount of any NFL team. Despite entering the season with low expectations following the retirement of Tom Brady, Tampa Bay managed to emerge as one of the most surprising teams in the NFL. The division title is even more impressive when one considers Tampa Bay closed out the season with five victories in their final six games to accomplish the feat.
Mayfield — who is considered one of the favorites to win the Comeback Player of the Year award — had a career season, posting a 64.3% completion rate with 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a 94.6 passer rating.
Baker Mayfield Sounds off on Beating Former Team
The veteran quarterback — who played for three different teams, including the Carolina Panthers in 2022 — explained what he learned during the Buccaneers’ path to winning the division title.
“Just handling adversity in the right way,” said Mayfield. ” I can’t say enough about everyone that I’ve been surrounded with in our organization. Just helping me be comfortable in the situation we’re in. And learning as we go. Been through a lot, but got a lot help along the way.”
Mayfield also revealed how it felt to defeat his former team, the Panthers, who benched him as the starting quarterback and eventually released him during the 2022 season.
“Yeah,” said Mayfield. “This room we’re standing in right now is where I found out I wasn’t going to be a part of the team anymore. There’s a lot of things that bring me back here.”
The Buccaneers will host the Philadelphia Eagles during wild card weekend. Tampa Bay previously lost to Philadelphia in Week 3 at home by a score of 25-11, mustering a season-low 174 total yards. They’ll hope for a different result this time around.