The start wasn't pretty, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-0, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is already endearing himself to a fanbase that craves a quarterback to rally around.

The first half from Mayfield in the win over the Vikings left a lot to be desired. All of the blame wasn't on Mayfield alone for a poor stat line, but the decisions and some of the throws made some believe the experiment could be over before it begins.

Then, Mayfield went out and slammed the door on the Vikings with a few huge plays that changed the course of the game in the second halfi0, and now Mayfield is seeing his support reach new levels amongst the fans of the pewter and red.

Being a Bucs fans isn't as easy as some of the newer fans that arrived with Tom Brady would believe. 

Quarterback has almost always been the limiting factor for Tampa, so having a guy like Tom Brady over the last few years that could win games on his own was a revelation.

No one is saying that Mayfield will reach that same level himself, but there is a chance that the guy that showed up last week could carry this team to the playoffs, and that means a whole Hell of a lot to these Bucs fans with national expectations where they are.

After the shaky start, Mayfield was able to come out firing in the second half. The deep ball looked good. Mayfield made the right reads. He leaned in and took some hits that made some people gasp but hyped his teammates up.

Tom Brady had confidence. Mayfield has a different type of swagger, as evidenced by his willingness to call out opposing players on the field and put a shoulder into defenders. Teams thrive off that.

Even the fans thrive off that. 

Bucs Twitter came alive when Mayfield had a game-clinching rush where it seemed like he was actively seeking contact. Dangerous yes, but it is fair to say that plays like that are going to keep Mayfield in a great spot with his supporters if he can keep that up and keep the wins coming.

With a good chance to start the year at 2-0 and add some additional big-time highlights against the Bears, Baker Mayfield is in a great position to make and then define a name for himself with the Buccaneers.

Takeaways from Buccaneers’ Week 1 win over Vikings

Here are the biggest takeaways.