Bucs QB Baker Mayfield 'will be fine' for must-win season finale vs. Panthers
Tampa Bay controls its own destiny in the NFC South race
Baker Mayfield will be "fine by Sunday" when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Carolina Panthers. The quarterback's ribs are very sore, head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Monday, but with the Bucs' season finale being a must-win game, he said expect to see Mayfield under center.
"He'll be ready to go on Sunday," Bowles said.
Mayfield was injured after throwing a 47-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay's 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It was Mayfield's 28th of the season, which marked a career high for the seven-year veteran.
Following the touchdown, the Bucs went for a 2-point conversion. Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu hit Mayfield's midsection and was flagged for roughing the passer. While Mayfield didn't leave the game at the time, when he did get to the sideline, he knelt down and was visibly wincing.
Tampa Bay currently holds the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs. Should it beat Carolina on the road, then it will clinch the NFC South title and host a wild-card game. But the Buccaneers (8-8) must tread carefully, because if they lose and the Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons, then the Saints would leap-frog them.
There's also a scenario in which the Falcons (7-9) can swoop in and take the NFC South crown with a win versus the Saints (8-8) and the Panthers upsetting Tampa Bay.
With all of this in mind, Mayfield is doing everything in his power to make sure he's good to go.
"It'll get easier throughout the week," Mayfield said on Sunday via ESPN. "The first few days are always the worst. I've had a few broken ribs here and there and obviously ... nothing showed to that extent as of right now, so yeah, I'll be able to deal with it and go from there."
