Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018, but has spent the majority of his career since then being the underdog, something he says he enjoys. Mayfield has endured an unending competition to prove his worth as a starting QB, including this year when he battled Kyle Trask for QB1 honors. But after bouncing around the league, he might have finally found a home in Tampa.
Being the dark horse does not bother Mayfield. He uses it as fuel.
"It's always fun to be counted out," Mayfield said (via NFL.com), following a 32-9 blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night in Super Wild Card Weekend. "Obviously, I'm pretty comfortable in it, but our team has completely embraced that.
"There's something about whether it's you're an underdog or a road game, just having your backs against the wall and knowing it's just your team versus everybody else when you're counted out, and it's always fun to be in that role."
The No. 4-seeded Buccaneers entered the game 9-8, while the No. 5 Eagles stood at 11-6. Even though the Bucs won five of their last six games and the Eagles lost five of their last six, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles knew many people didn't expected his team, which at one point in the season stood at 4-7, to win against the defending NFC champions.
"They were ready to play, you know," Bowles said. "We're not going to go in there trying to play for a tie. We were going for the win. We know we're underdogs. We'll be underdogs next week, too. We understand that. We embrace it. We like it. Them guys come up play after play. We'll enjoy tonight, and we'll get going tomorrow on Detroit."
Anyone who counted Mayfield and the Buccaneers out was eating their words Monday night. Mayfield was stellar in the win, going 22 of 36 with 337 yards passing and three touchdowns. He is the first quarterback in franchise history to have 300-plus yards and three-plus touchdowns in a playoff game. And remember: Tom Brady played for the Bucs for three seasons.
Mayfield was the quarterback tasked with taking over after the Bucs Brady era, and following in the footsteps of the GOAT is no easy task. Mayfield responded to that pressure by having a career-best season (64.3 completion percentage, 4,044 yards passing and 28 touchdowns).
The Bucs' pass catchers had some dropped passes on very catchable balls and Bowles complimented Mayfield's persistence to keep the offense productive and score more points than the last two weeks of the regular season combined.
"Like he said, they dropped some balls but he kept coming back, he kept going to them," Bowles said. "He was putting the ball only a place where they could catch it. He didn't turn it over. They kept making play after play after play. He did a hell of a job."
To add to his underdog status, Mayfield was also dealing with a rib and ankle injury, which clearly did not slow him down.
When asked about his treatment, Mayfield joked, "I don't know the science. I just let him do the work. I'm a glutton for punishment. It's not fun, but it's worth it."
Mayfield and Co. will try to keep their unlikely playoff run alive next week in the divisional round, when they head to Ford Field to face the No. 3 Detroit Lions.
Once again, they will be the underdog, though I don't think that bothers them.
