Baker Mayfield is hurting, and Bucs offense isn’t scoring points again
TAMPA — There were beers and cheers and players mugging for pictures in hats and T-shirts declaring them NFC South champions. But immediately following the Bucs’ 9-0 win over the Panthers Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, tackle Tristan Wirfs was asked to break down the huddle.
He offered straight talk amid a raucous celebration.
“Hey guys, I’m not trying to burst anybody’s bubble,” Wirfs said as his teammates put their hands in the pile. “I’m super proud of you guys. I love you guys. Defense, we appreciate you. We ain’t scored in eight quarters, offense. We got to be better going into the playoffs. We celebrate, we can be excited about this. Be excited about it. Third straight division. We’ve got to put some points on the board. I love you guys. Let’s go!”
Wirfs’ math was a little off, but not the meaning. Except for a couple of late touchdowns in the final minutes of a 23-13 loss to the Saints on Dec. 31, the Bucs offense largely has been invisible the past two games. It failed to reach the end zone in seven of the past eight quarters.
On Sunday, quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for a season-low 137 yards. The Bucs and Panthers tied for the second-fewest combined points in a game in Tampa Bay history. The only game with less was a 3-0 win over the Chiefs in the 1979 season finale.
That’s in stark contrast to wins at Green Bay (34-20) and at home against Jacksonville (30-12) just a few weeks earlier.
Mayfield became the only visiting quarterback to finish a game at Lambeau Field with a perfect passer rating
on Dec. 17. He followed that up a week later with another strong passing performance in building a 30-0 lead over the Jaguars.
But the past two games, the offensive production has mirrored his decline.
Even when the Bucs began their four-game win streak to climb back from a 4-7 start, Mayfield completed only 48.3% of his passes in wins over the Panthers and Falcons.
On Monday, head coach Todd Bowles said teams have adjusted to Dave Canales’ offensive scheme, and adjustments constantly have to be made.
“We played some decent defenses, but when you execute it goes well,” Bowles said. “When people get enough film on you and you keep doing the same thing, you have to change something. We have to switch some things up on both sides of the ball. Not just talking offensively, (but) defensively, too. But you win a game however you need to win it. You’re not going to be clicking on all cylinders all the time.”
Sunday was Mayfield’s worst game of the season. His grade from Pro Football Focus was 50.1.
However, there’s no disputing he is having one of the best seasons by a quarterback in Bucs history. He ranks among the top 10 NFL quarterbacks with 4,044 passing yards (9th), 28 touchdown passes (7th), a 94.6 passer rating (10th) and 1.8 interception percentage (5th).
“Don’t put it all on him,” Bowles said. “It’s an offense as a whole. It’s not one guy that’s going to win or lose. You have to operate as a unit. There are 11 guys over there, as well as the coaches. So it’s not just Baker being up and down. ... It’s the offense clicking and then not clicking. We have to be consistent.”
The most immediate concern for the Bucs heading into Monday night’s wild-card game against the Eagles at Raymond James Stadium is Mayfield’s health. He entered Sunday’s game with bruised ribs and was sacked three times. During one of those takedowns, he suffered an ankle sprain.
Having the last playoff game of the weekend at least gives Mayfield and other Bucs a chance to heal.
“Either way, it’s the playoffs,” Bowles said. “It’s going to be tough. We can use the extra day right now. Next week, we’re probably going to need a couple extra days. But you don’t get to work it that way. We play who we play, we play when we play, and we line up and go.”
But as Wirfs knows, the Bucs won’t go far in the postseason unless they get the football into the end zone.
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