The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the Indianapolis Colts, are the only two teams in the NFL holding a 5-1 record through the first six weeks of the season. For Tampa Bay, much of that success has been because of quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield is playing some of the best football of his career, doing so without several key offensive weapons sidelined due to injury, including Mike Evans, who the team hopes will begin practicing this week, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving, and Emeka Egbuka. All four are expected to remain out for Tampa Bay’s highly anticipated Week 7 matchup against the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football.”
Ahead of the game, the Buccaneers announced historic news on Wednesday regarding Mayfield’s Week 6 performance in the team’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Mayfield has joined NFL legend and former Buccaneers star Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in franchise history with 10,000-plus passing yards and 75-plus passing touchdowns through their first 40 games with the organization.
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Against the 49ers, Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Through six games this season, he has completed 66.2% of his passes with a 108.5 passer rating, averaging 256.5 yards per game. His totals currently stand at 1,539 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception.
On Tuesday, in his weekly Fox Sports power rankings, Brady named the Buccaneers the No. 1 team in the NFL, citing Mayfield as a major reason.
“It’s shake and bake time in Tampa,” Brady said, highlighting the quarterback’s impact on the team’s early-season success.
In his third season as the Buccaneers’ quarterback since taking over for Tom Brady following the 2022 season, Mayfield has firmly inserted himself into early-season MVP conversations.
If he continues on this trajectory—especially once some of Tampa Bay’s top offensive weapons return—Mayfield and the Buccaneers could be competing not just for personal accolades, but for a legitimate shot at the Lombardi Trophy.