Baker Mayfield, Bucs Cling to Playoff Hopes Amid Stormy Stretch
The skies haven’t cleared just yet in Tampa Bay. With two games left in the regular season, the Buccaneers find themselves in a familiar but precarious position-backs against the wall, needing wins to keep their postseason dreams alive. And as they prepare for a critical Week 17 showdown against the Dolphins, the message from inside the locker room is clear: there’s still belief.
Despite a season that’s seen more downs than ups, quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t flinching. The losses have piled up, the offense has sputtered, and the defense has bent more than it should-but Mayfield is leaning into the adversity.
“Our back is against the wall,” Mayfield said. “[We are] pretty comfortable there.”
That quote says a lot. It’s not just a rallying cry-it’s a nod to the identity this team has had to embrace.
The Bucs have made a habit of surviving the chaos. They clawed their way into the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024 when many had already written them off.
Now, they’re trying to do it again.
The Road to Now: A Season of Frustration
Tampa Bay’s season didn’t unravel all at once-it started with understandable losses to contenders like the Patriots, Rams, and Bills. But what followed was a gut punch.
A win over the Cardinals offered a flicker of hope, but then came a brutal stretch: losses to the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. That’s three straight division opponents, three missed opportunities, and a fanbase growing weary.
Still, Mayfield isn’t losing faith.
“We’ve been here before, and you can always rely on those experiences... I trust this group,” he said. “It hasn’t been our best play by any means... but we can still accomplish everything we want to.”
Incredibly, the NFC South remains wide open. No team has separated itself, and despite dropping six of their last seven, the Bucs are still in the thick of the playoff race. It’s not the path they envisioned, but it’s a path nonetheless.
Execution, Efficiency, and the Mayfield Factor
If Tampa Bay is going to make a run, it starts with the offense-and more specifically, with Mayfield. After a red-hot 5-1 start to the season where he completed over 66% of his passes and threw 12 touchdowns to just one pick, the last nine games have been a different story. His completion rate has dipped to 58.5%, with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions during that stretch.
That inconsistency has mirrored the offense as a whole. Injuries certainly played a role earlier in the year, but now, with a full complement of weapons-four starting-caliber wideouts and a trio of capable running backs-the expectations are higher. And the frustration is mounting.
Last week’s game plan leaned heavily on the run, an approach designed to control the clock and keep the game manageable. But the conservative strategy didn’t yield results, and when the Bucs needed to move the ball late, the offense couldn’t find its rhythm.
Mayfield owned his part in that.
“It’s just about putting it all together,” he said. “It’s red zones, it’s third downs, it’s me executing on some early downs... For me, it’s just overall being more efficient and going from there.”
That’s the key word: efficiency. Mayfield isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel-he’s focused on the fundamentals.
Hitting the easy throws, staying ahead of the sticks, and finishing drives. It’s the little things that separate winning from losing in December.
Accountability and Urgency in the Locker Room
In a season like this, it’s easy for a locker room to splinter. But Mayfield insists the Bucs aren’t pointing fingers-they’re pointing forward. He says the conversations happening behind closed doors are honest, direct, and focused on solutions.
“You just hear the chatter in the locker room,” Mayfield said. “You call people out when they need to be, but then also just saying this is how important this is... laying it on the line.”
That kind of accountability is crucial. But as Mayfield himself acknowledged, talk only goes so far.
The NFL is a results business. Players are evaluated, contracts are debated, and coaching jobs are on the line-especially this time of year.
Bowles’ Future and the Fight Ahead
Head coach Todd Bowles is navigating a pivotal moment. The Bucs’ playoff streak-and perhaps his tenure-hangs in the balance. If Tampa Bay can’t find a way to win in Miami and finish strong, change could be coming.
But Mayfield isn’t entertaining that narrative. Not now.
“My narrative is not going to change,” he said. “Our goals are still right in front of us... Our focus right now is doing everything we possibly can to find a way to win in Miami and see what happens from there.”
That’s the mindset this team needs. No scoreboard watching, no looking ahead to the offseason. Just one game, one win, and a shot to keep playing.
The Bottom Line
The Bucs are battered, but not broken. The offense hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the defense has had its share of struggles-but the door to the playoffs is still cracked open. It’s going to take sharper execution, cleaner quarterback play, and a defense that can hold the line.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about this team over the past few seasons, it’s that they don’t go quietly. The storm hasn’t passed-but the fight is far from over.