Known for saving receipts, quarterback Baker Mayfield made history with the Bucs in a 48–14 victory over his former team, the Carolina Panthers, at Raymond James Stadium.
Mayfield tied his personal best from his 2020 season in Cleveland on Sunday, completing 84.4% of his throws for 359 yards and a season-high five touchdowns. With those yards, he tied an all-time franchise record set by NFL great Tom Brady and set a new career high for single-season throwing yards with 4,279.
Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Bucs, stated, “He played a heck of a ballgame, wisely.” “We did not flip it in an inappropriate manner. He had excellent ball management, and we were excellent on third down. Distribute it. He had a solid game and got everyone touches.
A Panthers castaway who became a Bucs star is Baker Mayfield.
Before Baker Mayfield became one of the faces of the Bucs, he spent a short stint with the Carolina Panthers.
Before occasionally switching to defensive tackle in practice with Carolina’s scout team, Baker had a 1-5 record as a starter during his first half of the 2022 season with the Panthers. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Rams off the waiver wire at the end of the 2022 season to play under Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who was then an L.A. offensive coach, the former No. 1 overall pick’s career as a league starter appeared to be in doubt.
After starting for the Bucs, he has defeated the Panthers four times in a row. On Sunday, he accomplished it in a commanding manner, giving future Hall of Famer Mike Evans two touchdowns, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan two, and tight end Payne Durham his first career touchdown.
Regarding his offensive line, Mayfield stated, “It starts with the guys up front.” “They provided excellent protection, in my opinion. Naturally, we had some players running quite open in our pass plans, so that goes to the staff, followed by players making plays. Everyone was specific. Although we would prefer to have a few more touchdowns in the first half rather than having to settle for field goals, the players were spot on.
This game marked Mayfield’s eighth game this season where he had three or more passing touchdowns. With that, he tied Tom Brady (2021) for the most in a single season of any quarterback in Bucs history. That’s far from where the historic day ended, though. Sunday marked Mayfield’s fourth game in 2024, throwing for four or more touchdowns, tying him with reigning MVP Lamar Jackson for the most in the league in 2024.
Mayfield remarked, “It was about starting fast.” “We wanted to make sure we fixed the offensive side of things in Carolina because it was sloppy ball, and I believe our guys did just that.” There were a few little setbacks here and there. For the most part, everyone was tuned in, but we will review the tape and determine that.
Mayfield completed all 12 of his pass attempts against the blitz for 90 yards and five touchdowns, per Next Gen Stats. Since Patrick Mahomes in Week 1, 2022, Mayfield’s five touchdowns against the blitz were the most in a single game. Mayfield produced +23.4 EPA in a single game, which was his most in his career across all dropbacks.
Mayfield joined Tom Brady (twice), Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Deshaun Watson as the sixth player in history to have 350+ passing yards, five or more touchdown passes, a passer rating of 150.0+, and a completion percentage of 80.0+ in a single game, according to Elias Sports.
Mayfield had an almost flawless game with a 153 QB rating, and the Bucs offense reached new heights against the Panthers, scoring the most points at home in the team’s history. Mayfield needs four more touchdown passes to surpass Brady (43 in 2021) as the franchise’s all-time leader. He currently has 39 this season.
