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In the first six minutes of Sunday’s Week 12 game against the Colts, it certainly looked as though Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was a man on a mission. He completed five passes to drive Tampa Bay down to the 1-yard line with a first-and-goal situation. But then the Baker Mayfield mission gave way to the Baker Mayfield injury.
On the first-and-1 attempt, Mayfield tried a quarterback sneak which was stopped short by the Colts. But somewhere in the dive forward—he was not exactly sure where or how—he suffered an ankle injury that forced him out for two plays. Backup Kyle Trask came in and the Buccaneers were whistled for a false start. A run up the middle gained two yards, Trask threw an incomplete and the early momentum was squandered.
The Bucs came away with only a field goal, and with a Baker Mayfield injury.
He returned, fueled by his own desire to get this game. “Adrenaline is a hell of a drug,” he said.
Alas, he was not the same after the injury. Mayfield was 20-for-30 for 199 yards and a touchdown on the day, but also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the Colts’ 27-20 victory.
Baker Mayfield Injury: ‘Ankle Stuff’s Not Fun’
After the loss, Mayfield said the pain from the ankle injury was already ramping up. Once the rush of the game settled down, he knew it was going to get a lot worse, fast. Mayfield said he will have an MRI on the injury.
“Ankle stuff’s really not fun,” Mayfield said. “Really not sure what exactly happened, I’ll have to see the film. Didn’t feel very good, but just had (trainer) Bobby (Slater) and the team tape me up again as much as they possibly could. But it will be pretty sore tomorrow.”
He was asked what it was that made him decide to carry on with the Baker Mayfield mission after the Baker Mayfield injury took place.
“Just having an open line of communication with those guys (the training staff) and you know, being honest about how I feel. At first, it didn’t feel very good, but it kinda eased up as the game went on. We’ll see, when the adrenaline goes down, if it’s there,” he said.
Buccaneers Still in Playoff Mix
As for the Buccaneers and their mission, much has changed since that delightful 3-1 start during which the Bucs appeared playoff-bound and Mayfield was on the way to rehabbing his career. Instead, Tampa has now lost six of its last seven games and sits at 4-7.
That’s not where they want to be. Yet, with the Falcons beating the Saints on Sunday, those two teams are tied at 5-6. That means the Buccaneers are just a game out of the playoff picture.
“One game back in the division,” Mayfield said. “Our goal is still in front of us. But it’s frustrating to not win these games and continue to hurt ourselves. The Colts capitalized, they played well, not taking anything away from them.
“But it’s very frustrating to continue to kinda have the same story over and over again. So until everybody gets p***ed off enough to get it fixed, there will be no changes. I know where I’m gonna head at the end of this week. I’ll get my job fixed and try to drag as many people along as well.”
That is, unless the Baker Mayfield injury again stops the mission.
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