Baker Mayfield blames himself for Falcons loss and it’s a smart move, but the finger must be pointed elsewhere
Mayfield is stepping up and taking responsibility, but it’s the Bucs defense that should bear the weight of Thursday night’s loss to the Falcons.
Baker Mayfield isn’t one to shy away from the truth and he was his typical candid self after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ horrible loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
It was another game where Mayfield missed some critical throws and overall, played just OK. He wasn’t good, great, or bad – he was fine. Unfortunately, the Bucs needed him to at least be good on Thursday night and that wasn’t the case.
And, as a result, the Bucs dropped their seventh game of the season and have officially hit rock bottom.
Mayfield’s costly interception helped key the Falcons’ win
One reason for Mayfield’s self-reproach came via his seventh interception of the season. The Bucs were up eight points in the fourth quarter and Mayfield and Co. had the ball looking to extend the lead. Atlanta defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich got the best of him, however, as he dialed up a well-designed call that resulted in a Dee Alford pick.
“The Tampa offense found success throughout much of Thursday night’s game against Atlanta by working routes outside the numbers. QB Baker Mayfield finished the night 13 of 19 for 225 yards and a touchdown outside the numbers — but one of his final passes outside ended up being a pivotal mistake.
With Tampa leading by 8 points midway through the fourth quarter and on the fringe of scoring territory, Mayfield aligned in the shotgun of a 2×2 formation and took a three step-drop from under center, looking to his left. The receivers on that side, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, combined to run a stop/hitch and a seam: Evans ran the hitch outside the numbers while Godwin pressed his route upfield on top of the numbers.
The Falcons teased playing 2-man before the snap but ultimately fell out into a four over, three under quarters coverage in which the corners fell into deep assignments. The nickel defender, Dee Alford, was bluffing man coverage over Godwin at the snap, but pushed out past Godwin and into the throwing window for the hitch as a hook/curl defender.
Unfortunately for Mayfield, the routes were spaced just close enough for it to be muddy as he’s initiating his throwing motion, which allowed Alford to work directly into the flight path of the ball and greet him for an interception.” – Kyle Crabbs, A to Z NFL
The Falcons subsequently turned the interception into six points and it helped brought them within three points of winning the game. It was a bad mistake and Mayfield admitted as much after the game.
“Dee Alford got me on wasn’t even a disguise,” Mayfield told reporters. “(It was) quarters coverage, playing outside leverage, which is really not what he normally does on tape. [I] just have to go through the reads. If it’s not there, take the damn check-down. It’s plain and simple.
“This one, like I said, is going to beat me up for a little bit.”
His poor throw to Emeka Egbuka on second was actually worse than the INT
It didn’t stop there – the fourth quarter was very unkind to Mayfield and frankly, his missed throw to Emeka Egbuka was worse than the interception in terms of how it could’ve impacted the game.
Regardless, the Bucs offense had the ball up two points with about three-and-a-half minutes left. A bad, four-yard loss on first down resulted in a 2nd and 14 with about two-and-a-half minutes remaining. Egbuka was open, but Mayfield couldn’t complete the pass. Not only did it stop the clock, but it put the Bucs in a bad 3rd and 14 that led to a sack and the rest is history.
The Bucs would’ve been able to run out the clock and end the game had Mayfield completed the pass. The Falcons were out of timeouts at that point and all of this could’ve been avoided had Mayfield’s pass been on-point.
Mayfield contributed to the loss, but it was the defense that broke the Bucs’ backs
Look, Mayfield played a sizable role in what is arguably a worse loss than the Week 14 defeat at the hands of the Saints. There’s no denying that andhe isn’t backing down from the accountability or responsibility that comes with the above plays, either.
“It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said after the game. “[I] can’t turn the ball over, [I] can’t have that interception, and then [I] just have to hit ‘Mek in stride on that second down. Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense and it comes down to how I play. This one’s gonna haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”
Again, Mayfield is nowhere near blameless in this scenario. At the same time, however, the defense is much more at fault than he is.
For starters, Mayfield and the offense never got to work with a two-score lead like he said. Sure, they went up by 14 right at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons immediately scored on the next possession and made it an eight-point game. The two-score lead changed into a one-score advantage before the Bucs offense could get the ball back.
Then, after the interception, the defense gave up another touchdown and finally, there was the inexcusable 3rd and 28/4th and 14 sequence that set up the game-winning field goal from Zane Gonzalez.
Yes, Mayfield needs to be better, but using his logic: An NFL defense should be able to hold a 14-point lead and shouldn’t allow an offense to score 17 straight points on all three possessions in the fourth quarter!
Mayfield is playing the long game and it’s a smart move
Mayfield is demonstrating leadership and accountability in this instance and the hope is his Bucs teammates will pick up and follow his lead. It’s a smart move that could provide a spark over these last three games, but at this point, it has to be seen to believed.
Regardless, it’s the kind of leadership the Bucs need before heading into what is a do-or-die game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16.
“He’s taking responsibility as one of our leaders,” Todd Bowles said Monday. “Obviously, you don’t want the turnover, but he can look himself in the mirror and be honest with himself. And you know, coaches and players have to do that alike. That’s what makes him who he is. If everybody did that, we would figure out our problems real quick.
“So I think it’s an eye-opener for a lot of guys and a lot of coaches on this team. So we come back Monday and look in the mirror, and everybody can work on the little things. I think that’ll carry us the rest of the way. So what he said was very honest and very true.”
The Bucs need to try anything and everything to pull themselves out of this funk. Maybe Mayfield’s approach resonates, but only time will tell.
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Mike Evans’ reaction perfectly summed up understandable frustration in final moments of Bucs’ horrendous loss to the Falcons
The future Hall of Famer’s emotions came out at the end of the game, and it’s hard to blame him one bit.
