TAMPA, Fla. – Everywhere you go for NFL news, it seems that Bucs QB Baker Mayfield’s name is being brought up as an NFL MVP candidate.
Even his actions off the field, like the exchange with a fan last Sunday, are being applauded. Mayfield, however, doesn’t pay too much attention to the hype.
“I try not to get too high, not to get too low,” Mayfield said. “Early on in my career, it was looked at as cocky and immature. Now it is moxie and ‘He is a dog.’ Same stuff, different day. As long as you play well, they change the narrative.”
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Play well, he has. Mayfield has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception in five games this season, leading the Bucs to a 4-1 record and placing them atop the NFC South. In the win in Seattle last Sunday, Mayfield completed 89.7 percent of his passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles didn’t hesitate when asked if any other player in the league has meant more to their team than Mayfield has meant to his this season.
“For me, no,” Bowles said. “The other 31 coaches are probably going to stand up here and say the same thing about their quarterback. I love what he’s doing right now. I love the way he’s playing.”
Bucs WR Sterling Shepard is familiar with Mayfield’s competitiveness, having played with him on the same Oklahoma team.
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“That man plays every play like it is his last, and it feeds off to the team,” Shepard said. “He puts us all in the right position. He’s just playing great football.”
Mayfield has engineered game-winning drives in all four Buccaneers victories this season, but he won’t take the credit. He attributes their success to the whole offense and credits the coaches for having them prepared for crunch time.
“We rep it so much, and it’s a huge part of our game plan,” Mayfield said. “We’re talking about what they do before the half, after the half, and at the end of the game. That is pretty standard around the league, but guys know and they have seen that those meetings are really, really important for us.”
Mayfield was named a FedEx Air Player of the Week for Week Five. Again, Mayfield says it doesn’t mean much to him individually, emphasizing that football is the greatest team sport in the world, and the Bucs are playing team football right now.
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