A few years ago, Baker Mayfield was a castoff, given up on by multiple teams.
These days, he’s starting to write the first few lines of an NFL MVP résumé.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 5-1 and Mayfield is the biggest reason why. He has made clutch plays all season, including Sunday as he led Tampa Bay to a 30-19 win over a San Francisco 49ers team that came in 4-1.
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Mayfield played without receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, running back Bucky Irving and offensive tackle Luke Goedeke. Then, in the second half, star rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka had to come out due to a hamstring injury. Mayfield made sure it didn’t matter, making highlight plays to get the Buccaneers over the finish line.
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Mayfield had 256 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions for a passer rating of 139. He has 12 touchdowns and one interception this season.
He has his team tied for the best record in the NFL, some clutch drives for key wins, a few fantastic highlights and is holding the team together while some stars around him deal with injuries. That’s how you get in the early MVP conversation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had another big game against the 49ers. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Both teams take on more injuries
The 49ers’ injuries have been talked about a lot and it got worse Sunday. Linebacker Fred Warner suffered a terrible looking ankle injury, was put in an air cast and carted off. He was ruled out immediately. That injury, along with Nick Bosa’s season-ending ACL tear, leaves the 49ers’ defense dangerously thin.
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The Buccaneers aren’t a picture of health either. After Egbuka was sidelined with a hamstring injury, Tampa Bay was down its top four receivers. Yet, the offense still kept moving due to Mayfield.
The 49ers hung around Sunday’s contest thanks to another solid game from Mac Jones and Christian McCaffrey touching the ball over and over. They trailed just 20-19 when Mayfield made two fantastic plays.
On a third-and-14, Mayfield somehow escaped a sack. Not seeing anything downfield, he took off running but had a long way to go. Five different 49ers had hands on him but he kept breaking free until he stretched for the first down to keep the drive alive.
Then, without almost all of his key targets, he found seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown.
Mayfield was putting the Buccaneers on his back. If his third-down run happened later in the season, we might call it an MVP moment.
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49ers hang around
The Buccaneers couldn’t put the 49ers away. They missed a field goal that would have put them up 11 points in the fourth quarter. On a 49ers punt, Vita Vea was penalized for running into the kicker, giving San Francisco a first down as it trailed 27-19. Jamel Dean got a huge interception on a fourth down with 5:43 to go, and the Buccaneers looked like they were in good shape.
Nothing has been easy for the Buccaneers, who had not won a game by more than three points all season, but they were finally able to put the game away. After Dean’s INT, Tampa Bay drove into 49ers territory and got a field goal with 1:55 to go to take a 30-19 lead. The 49ers couldn’t move the ball after that and the Buccaneers went to victory formation, something that has been rare for them despite a great start.
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The Buccaneers still have to deal with plenty of injuries, though they should start to get healthy. And they’re 5-1 despite those issues. They can thank Mayfield for the hot start.
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