TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the New England Patriots 28-23 in a game that felt less competitive than the final score suggests, and Bucs QB Baker Mayfield is noticing a troubling pattern.
According to Mayfield, the Bucs are lacking attitude and a killer instinct on offense—a mentality that he says must start with him.
“We’re a good team, but to be great, you score on the opening drive, you know what it looks like, you set the tone, you’re not satisfied with it,” Mayfield stated after the loss. “You come back, in your head it’s zero zero and you go do it again. Right now I think we are lacking that on offense. It comes down to me to get that fixed and I will do that.”
The game actually started on a high note for Tampa Bay. Mayfield quickly led a 65-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka for a 7-0 lead.
The Momentum Shift
The Patriots quickly tied it on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to Kyle Williams. A Chase McLaughlin 36-yard field goal briefly put the Bucs up 10-7, but New England took control just before halftime, finishing a 78-yard drive with Maye hitting Stefon Diggs for a 14-10 lead.
The second half began disastrously for Tampa Bay. On the second play, Patriots running back Treyveon Henderson broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run, making the score 21-10.
Coaching Staff Also Unhappy
Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles was visibly unhappy with both sides of the ball. “We didn’t play well,” Bowles admitted. “We gotta take it on the chin. Give [Mike] Vrabel and the Patriots a lot of credit. They did a heck of a job. Their players made plays, our players did not.”
The Bucs fought back, completing an 82-yard drive with Mayfield scrambling before finding Tez Johnson for a score. However, a failed two-point conversion kept the score 21-16. Henderson then delivered the final blow with a 69-yard touchdown run, securing the win and improving the Patriots’ record to 8-2, while the Bucs fell to 6-3.
Mayfield Challenges Teammates
Mayfield was so bothered by the performance that he talked to the offense after the game.
“At some point when the stuff comes up during the week, whether it’s mistakes or things we talk about and then it shows up on Sundays, you have to have some pride about you,” he asserted. “You gotta have the fear of that failure messing up for your teammates. You’ve got to have that responsibility, accountability for the guys around you.”
Without naming names, Mayfield made it clear the entire offensive mentality needs an overhaul.
“Offensively, I’m hoping our guys do get [ticked] off about this,” Mayfield concluded. “This isn’t the end of our season, I know that. But games like this when you don’t win them, it should stink. It should really, really hurt.”
READ: Bucs Hit The Reset Button: Bye Week Refreshes Body, Mind, And Focus For Patriots Test
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