Baker Mayfield is taking pressure off a young Bucs offense
One of the oldest NFL adages is if you pressure the quarterback, your odds of stopping them increase exponentially. So far, in 2023, that's not the case with Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield. Per Pro Football Focus, Mayfield is one of the best quarterbacks under pressure through the first four weeks of the season. […]
One of the oldest NFL adages is if you pressure the quarterback, your odds of stopping them increase exponentially.
So far, in 2023, that's not the case with Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield.
Per Pro Football Focus, Mayfield is one of the best quarterbacks under pressure through the first four weeks of the season. He currently holds the second-best completion percentage and he has the fourth-most passing yards (334) and fifth-most passing touchdowns (3). The former No. 1 overall pick has also managed to accomplish this without throwing an interception while under duress.
And, to make it all the more better: Mayfield has been pressured on 32.6% of his dropbacks, which is tied for the 11th-lowest rate among QBs with at least 35 pressured dropbacks (30 qualifying players). Meaning, Mayfield is making a lot of plays when guys are getting after him.
All of the above has led to an 8.7% pressure-to-sack conversion rate. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who leads the NFL with a ridiculous 3.6% rate, is the only other qualifying QB with a single-digit P2S rate.
There are a lot of factors that go into all of this. The first and obvious factor is Mayfield's scrambling ability. He's no Josh Allen, Justin Fields, or Lamar Jackson, but the guy still has enough athleticism and speed to where he can go get a first down with his legs. Throw in the fact he's always willing to lower his shoulder for extra yards and it's easy to see why teams need factor Mayfield's legs into the game plan (even if the Saints didn't).
"Whether he got it done with a checkdown or with his legs, that's the one thing he did a great job of in the [Saints] game," Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales told reporters Monday. "They're trying to confuse him with all these dropout coverages and all these double teams, well they've got nobody factored for the quarterback. He's more mobile than guys give him credit for. I know he's a move-around guy, but he can go and get yards.
"So, yeah, I'm really happy about him just knowing what the situation is – the defense, us, our guys, what's it looking like. He just has a feel for making some of those good decisions."
The other factor is Canales' offense. The first-year coordinator uses a ton of pre-snap motion throughout games in order to give his QB a good idea of what coverage the defense is running. When plays break down, Mayfield already knows if defenders are going to have their backs turned or if they're going to be in zone and have eyes on him. This allows Mayfield to make a quicker decision when it comes to tucking the ball and taking off when a defense is in man versus trying to find a guy in the zone's soft spot.
"I think the cool part about having somebody like Baker [Mayfield] is [that] he turned a couple of really average play calls into some touchdowns," said Canales. "… Baker didn't panic in those situations, he just said, 'Okay, this isn't what the play was designed for, but I have outlets.' He found Cade [Otton] inside on one of our plays, the extension to 'D.T.' [Deven Thompkins] on the other one, the flat route he threw to Rachaad [White] that Rachaad took down to the 1-yard line.
"Those are just him saying, 'Alright, not the design, boom, go to the next one quickly.' That's good football. That gives me a lot of confidence to be able to make those pass calls and know he's going to get us into a positive play."
Mayfield's ability to make plays under pressure has given a growing Bucs offense a much bigger margin for error. It's not like they want to lean into that – but there's no denying how much it helps.
One such way is building confidence. The more Mayfield successfully leads his teammates through the muck, the stronger they'll be on the other side. And when you're building that as early as October, almost anything is possible by the time December-January rolls around.
"He's a fighter [and he has] a ton of resilience," Bucs WR Chris Godwin told reporters Sunday. "I think he's been a great fit for us. You see him making plays, scrambling, you know, he takes some some big shots, [but] pops back up. I think he's a leader. But I think he loves ball and that permeates through him.
It's infectious for the guys on the team. It makes the offensive line want to block more. It makes us want to run our routes a little bit harder. Give him a chance, because we know that he's going to extend the play as much as he can to give us a chance. I'm happy to have him."
