The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got quarterback Baker Mayfield back after missing three weeks with a dislocated thumb. His return could not have gone any better. While the defense and running game only allowed Mayfield to throw the ball 11 times, head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield was great.
“That’s great,” said Bowles on the play of Mayfield. “He made the plays when we needed him. We didn’t need him to make much. You know, the offensive line, you get 49 runs in, and you can run the ball like that. Especially a quarterback coming back off injury; you make the day easy.”
Bowles noted that the plan was not to skew so far to the running game, but it was rather the way the game played out. However, he did mention the plan was for Mayfield to get some safe passes. Mayfield completed seven of his 11 attempts for 64 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass to Tez Johnson.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles Pleased with QB Baker Mayfield in Return
Mayfield joked about his thumb being sore after the game due to all of the work he had to do giving the ball to his teammates.
“I mean, these handoffs, I don’t know,” said Mayfield about how he feels after his return. “My thumb might be pretty sore. There’s good form, though.”
While Mayfield was all jokes after the game, he made it clear before the game that he was more concerned with how his thumb would feel taking the snaps under center and the impact of that than he was about gripping and throwing the football.
So taking that many snaps was notable for Mayfield.
Johnson had two receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Godwin had four catches for 27 yards. Bucky Irving added one reception for four yards, and no one else on the Bucs caught a pass.
Bucs Lean on Run Game in Win Over Panthers
While the return of Mayfield and how he feels is most important, the Bucs running game was the story of the day. Bucky Irving had 24 rushes for 106 yards, and Kenneth Gainwell added 14 rushes for 88 yards. Even Sean Tucker got into the mix with seven rushing attempts for 52 yards.
The Bucs’ opening drive featured 14 plays with 10 rushing attempts for 47 yards from Irving. Mayfield added 23 of his 64 yards on the opening drive, indicating the team planned to throw the ball more. However, after a defensive touchdown gave the Bucs a 17-0 lead, the game flipped on its head a bit.
Carolina attempted to come back, but after cutting the lead to 17-6, the Bucs returned a blocked extra point to take a 19-6 lead. The next drive featured a seven-play drive with a 29-yard Gainwell rush that led to a touchdown; Tampa Bay led 26-6 and did not look back. Now, they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 with a chance to get right back into the division.
Buccaneers HC Gets Candid On Baker Mayfield Week 7 Return