No one summed up what the next 24 hours is going to be like for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans better then 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield following a gutsy, 16-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 played almost entirely with a torrential downpour of rain.
The Buccaneers now need the New Orleans Saints to defeat the Atlanta Falcons to send Tampa Bay to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. A win by the Falcons clinches the NFC South Division title and a playoff spot for the Panthers.
Mayfield was asked if it was possible he could be a fan of a team he’s openly expressed so much hatred for in the past with the Saints.
“I am (a fan) tomorrow,” Mayfield told ESPN’s Peter Schrager, adding that he would watch the game “from the comfortability of my own couch.”
Mayfield won’t be alone in his temporary fandom.
For one crazy day, Buccaneers fans will cheer for the team they almost certainly hate the most, with kickoff in Atlanta set for 1 p.m. EST on Fox.
Cheering for Saints Almost Incomprehensible
The Saints are 6-10 and have won 4 consecutive games headed into Week 18.
The Falcons are 7-10 and defeated the Saints, 24-10, in their first meeting in Week 12 in New Orleans.
If you were to ask a Buccaneers fan the team they would hate to cheer for the most besides the Saints, it’s probably the Falcons.
Mayfield was quick to point out a win by the Saints isn’t the only way the Buccaneers can get in the playoffs, which would be objectively hilarious.
“I told Baker Mayfield it’s gotta be agonizing for him having to now root for the Saints to win a game,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine wrote on X. “He has literally said on-record: ‘I hate the Saints.’ … ‘Yeah…a tie still gets us in so…they can still tie.’ “
Smart offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches should take how Mayfield played in Week 18 against the Panthers and use it as a teaching tape for how to win a game in wet conditions — he went 16-of-22 passing for 203 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception to go with 4 carries for 31 yards.
“If Baker Mayfield makes a single mistake over the course of a game, the Buccaneers stop playing modern football,” Joe A NFL wrote on his official X account. “They resort to runs up the middle and defense. They are bad at both things. Then they lose. Because the only thing separating the Bucs from being abysmal is Baker.”
Buccaneers Shook Off Miserable 2 Months
The Buccaneers managed to shake off a miserable past 2 months that seemed like it may as well have been 2 years, losing 7 of 8 games to close out the season, including 4 consecutive losses before Week 18.
The resiliency the Buccaneers showed on a night where it may have seen the last home game for Tampa Bay legends in wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David left many in awe.
“I’m unbelievably grateful to be a part of the call tonight with Buccaneers and Panthers,” ESPN color commentator and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky wrote on X. “Lotta respect for Baker and the way he battles and competes. Love his passion. Found a way … I’ll never take for granted the opportunity to call these games on this network in these moments.”
Buccaneers Playoff Hopes: Everything Now Depends on Saints