Getty Is there a Baker Mayfield injury for the Buccaneers?
If there is a Baker Mayfield injury, he was certainly not going to let any of us know about it. The Buccaneers quarterback apparently hit the thumb on his throwing hand on the helmet of a Titans pass-rusher in Sunday’s 20-6 win at home and played through pain throughout the game.
But when Mayfield himself was asked about the state of his thumb injury after the Bucs win, he said only, “Feels good.”
Which was odd because his coach had said something considerably different just moment before. As the NFL.com injury roundup for Week 10 reads: “Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield hit his thumb on a helmet during Sunday’s game versus the Titans, per head coach Todd Bowles. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined after Mayfield finished the game, per Bowles.”
Bowles said he would check on the injury, but it’s likely that Mayfield did not admit much more to him than he did to the media in his postgame press conference.
All Good for Buccaneers Despite Baker Mayfield Injury
Now, perhaps there was too much else to celebrate for the Buccaneers to be too worried about a Baker Mayfield injury. The win over the Titans snapped a four-game losing streak for Tampa Bay during which the Bucs seemingly suffered losses of every kind.
They were drubbed by the Lions by 14 points in Week 6. They forced three turnovers in Week 7 against the Falcons and yet only scored 13 points in an improbable 3-point loss. Then, they had a chance to pull off an upset in Buffalo on Thursday night in Week 8, but came up just short. And they had the stunning 39-37 last-second shootout loss in Houston in Week 9.
The losing streak wore on the Bucs. But on Sunday, late in the Titans win, Mayfield was seen smiling on the sideline as the team cruised to victory. It was pointed out to him that he is not seen smiling much.
Mayfield flashed some pre-holiday spirit.
“Are you saying I’m a South Pole elf?” he joked before addressing the relief of busting the streak. “Just the streak as a whole and playing better at home was big for us. We need to be able to bring that energy each week. It’s just a relief, kind of a weight off your shoulders when you have a streak like that to be able to break it.”
Remaining Schedule Sets Up Nicely for Bucs
Still, the possibility of a Baker Mayfield injury to his thumb is a little concerning, because the Buccaneers are back on track and have a key stretch of schedule ahead. Going to San Francisco for Week 11 next Sunday figures to be a rough one, but after that, Tampa has winnable games against the Colts and Panthers.
That would set up the Buccaneers for a Week 14 rematch in Atlanta, one that could go a long way toward deciding the NFC South race, which is currently bunched among Tampa, the Falcons and the Saints.
Don’t expect Baker Mayfield to look that far ahead, however. He’s happy that the Bucs have continued to show fight, but he is keeping the focus in the now.
“In the last few weeks, even in the losses, we’ve been fighting,” he said. “It’s a matter of things kinda have to fall our way to continue on this journey. Don’t let your head go down. Continue fighting. And good things will happen. It’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality for us from here on out. Control our own destiny and see where it takes us.”