Buccaneers head coach blunt about Baker Mayfield's play as team faces playoff elimination

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the play arsenic the favorites to triumph the NFC South for the 5th twelvemonth successful a row, but they are 1 nonaccomplishment from missing retired connected the playoffs.

Baker Mayfield recovered a spot successful Florida aft being drafted by the Cleveland Browns and taking a pit halt with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.

However, with their playoff hopes connected the brink, caput manager Todd Bowles was speedy to constituent the digit astatine the idiosyncratic who has been considered the savior of this generation's Bucs.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers backmost Baker Mayfield (6) speaks to caput manager Todd Bowles earlier a crippled against the Atlanta Falcons astatine Raymond James Stadium.  (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)

"We’ve got to beryllium amended astatine the backmost position, and we’ve got to beryllium amended astatine the signal-calling position, and we’ve got to beryllium amended blocking it," Bowles said aft the Buccaneers' 20-17 nonaccomplishment to the Miami Dolphins earlier this week.

After starting 7-5, the Bucs person mislaid 4 consecutive and request some a triumph against the aforementioned Panthers and a nonaccomplishment by the Atlanta Falcons to marque the playoffs arsenic an 8-9 part champion. With a nonaccomplishment connected Saturday, Carolina would triumph the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield (6) jogs disconnected the tract aft the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Houston Texans connected Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, successful Houston, Texas.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Mayfield made the Pro Bowl successful each of his archetypal 2 seasons with Tampa Bay, but this play volition beryllium his worst with them to date. After throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns astatine a 71.4 completion percentage, Mayfield presently has 3,490 yards and 25 touchdowns, portion his completion percent has dropped to 62.8%.

Carolina defeated the Bucs 23-20 2 weeks agone for their archetypal triumph implicit Tampa Bay successful much than 3 years. The Panthers person not made the playoffs since the 2017 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers backmost Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled successful Tampa, Florida, connected Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024.  (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Bowles joined the Bucs arsenic their antiaircraft coordinator aft being fired arsenic the New York Jets' caput manager successful 2018, becoming the caput manager successful 2022 aft Bruce Arians retired.

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