Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield put on a show during “Monday Night Football” victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.
His ankle and rib injuries didn’t seem to matter. Mayfield put it aside quickly as he pumped up the fans before the game and then delivered in 32-9 Wild Card game victory.
“Big difference in tonight’s game compared to the first one with how many Eagles fans there were tonight. Tampa showed up, so we appreciate that,” Mayfield told reporters after the game. “Unfortunately, it was the last one here. But it was a electric. We could feel the energy, and we fed off that.”
The Buccaneers could get one more game at home — albeit unlikely — with both a win in Detroit and a Green Bay Packers win at San Francisco. Tampa Bay faces a steep challenge in the Lions, which beat the Buccaneers 20-6 in the regular season.
Baker Mayfield is having fun again. What a cool story for him and the entire #Bucs organization.
Mayfield will need a similar game to what he showed Monday against the Eagles. He threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns on 22-36 passing.
All of his touchdown throws came on big-yardage plays, too. The Buccaneers more than five pass plays of 20 yards or more in the rout.
Baker Mayfield on Receivers: ‘Big Time’
Mayfield’s first touchdown went to wide receiver David Moore,10-0 lead. Rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer then exploded on a 56-yard touchdown pass in the late third quarter for a 25-9 lead, and star wide receiver Chris Godwin capped it with a 23-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
“Big time. They were running a couple of coverages where they were double teaming Mike [Evans] and Chris at the same time,” Mayfield said about Palmer, Moore and tight end Cade Otton. “Those guys had a lot of one-on-ones, and took advantage of their opportunities. They played amazing obviously.”
“Pretty simple plays. They did the rest,” Mayfield added. “It’s always good as a quarterback just to give it to them — an easy throw and they do the rest. Happy for those guys.”
TREY. PALMER. IS. GONE.
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
Otton led all Buccaneers receivers with eight catches for 89 yards, which included a 24-yard grab. Moore finished with 66 yards on two catches, and Palmer had his lone touchdown grab.
Evans finished with three catches for 48 yards, and that included a 21-yard reception. Godwin tallied four catches for 45 yards, and rookie tight end Payne Durham chipped in an 18-yard reception.
“I said [to ESPN] immediately after the game, we worked extremely hard to get a chance to be in the playoffs,” Mayfield said. “We just wanted an opportunity, and our guys came out and played really, really well.
“Once again, Chase [McLaughlin] is a stud. Defense played lights out,” Mayfield added. “Hey, we should have had a lot more points on offense, but we did just enough to get the win tonight.”
Buccaneers Making Divisional Round Appearances a Habit
Tampa Bay will play in the Divisional Round for the third time in four years. The Buccaneers won on the road in a dome the last time the team played a Divisional Round game away from Tampa — a 30-20 win over the New Orleans Saints in the 2020 season.
“We’re happy, but we still got more to go,” Mayfield said.
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Baker Mayfield Sends Message to Fans After Blowout Win Over Eagles