Baker Mayfield receives the ultimate compliment from Sean McDermott and he must live up to it against the Bills
Any quarterback would like to have this label attached to them.
Even though he’s struggled the last few weeks, the NFL is still fully aware of what Baker Mayfield can do when he’s on point and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott echoed that sentiment when he spoke with reporters on Wednesday.
“Baker, overall, has always had a certain skill set,” said McDermott. “So you’re always having to prepare for that, no matter if it was, you know, back when he was in Cleveland or now in Tampa. That skill set that he brings to the table is elite…
“… He’s got it. And we have to bring that. If you want to beat him, you have to bring that.”
Bucs really need Baker Mayfield to get back to his early season form
Mayfield was on an MVP trajectory before things started to come apart against the Detroit Lions back in Week 7. Over the first six weeks, he completed 66.2% of his passes for 1,539 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception and his 108.5 QB rating was sixth-best. Since the Lions game, he’s completed 60.7% of his passes for 653 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. His QB rating of 83.7 is good for 22nd out of 32 quarterbacks.
He’s also been nowhere near as effective on the ground. He literally has zero rushing yards over the last three games after accruing 158 yards during the first six games. The reason is mostly a mix of injuries and defensive adjustments, but as we all know, you have to have a counterpunch in the NFL and it’s time Mayfield deployed his.
“I think first [it’s] schematically, you know, obviously, starting in Detroit, they started with the spy defense on third down [and] some of that stuff,” Mayfield told reporters when asked why he thinks he hasn’t been as effective on the ground.
“And, yeah, just discipline in the rush lanes. And, you know, for me, not feeling like I was able to get up to full speed, scrambling to throw, which is what I try and do every time. But sometimes, earlier in the season, the run lanes are there. So, [I’m] looking to throw, and as I get healthier, still trying to take advantage of whatever they’re giving me.”
There’s a lot of context behind Mayfield’s recent struggles, but the point is clear. He’s gotta find a way to overcome them this weekend. It’s mid-November – this is when the playoff race really starts to heat up. The Bucs travel up to Buffalo and then across the country to Los Angeles in Week 12 to play the Rams, who are looking more and more like they’ll represent in the NFC in the Super Bowl with each passing week.
If the Bucs want to live up to the Super Bowl expectations they set for themselves during the offseason, then Mayfield has to get back on track. It all starts and ends with him and that journey officially begins this week.
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