Baker Mayfield’s message to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is pretty simple as they head into Week 9: keep building on what’s already working.
After back-to-back defensive statements, Tampa Bay is carrying momentum into its matchup with the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. The Buccaneers followed a 43-13 win over the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers with a 16-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons, a game that featured four interceptions forced from Michael Penix Jr. and a franchise-best 324 rushing yards. In that Falcons win, Mayfield didn’t complete a pass, and Tampa Bay became the first team since 1974 to win an NFL game without a completion.
Now sitting at 3-5, the Buccaneers are only a half-game behind Carolina in the NFC South race. But as the Bears come into view, the focus inside the locker room is on staying locked in to the formula that has carried them through the last two weeks.
"Just got to continue to do the things that we've been getting better at the last couple weeks," said Mayfield. "Continue to do that, lean on that, and just like I said, it's about taking care of the football.
When we do that, we play well, we feed off each other. So just got to continue to do that.
Doesn't matter the stage, the setting, the conditions, just plays as a unit."
Tampa Bay’s passing game has been on the back burner since Mayfield returned from a three-game absence because of a thumb injury. Against Carolina last week, he finished 7 of 11 for 64 yards, enough to help the Bucs keep rolling but not nearly the kind of volume they’ll likely need against Chicago.
That’s where the challenge gets sharper. The Bears bring the seventh-best offense in the league and the ninth-best defense, so Tampa Bay may need more from the air attack to come away with a win.
Mayfield, though, isn’t worried about that part of the offense being ready when called upon.
"I'm very confident," said Mayfield. "Obviously, last two weeks we haven't needed it, and today was more condition-based.
But I'm very confident in the fact that we'll be just fine. We've had two really good weeks of practice when it comes to the pass game stuff.
We've been prepared. Whenever whenever we need it, we'll have it."
In Other News...
Bucs Secondary Is Forcing A Much Bigger Conversation
The Buccaneers defense has turned into the kind of unit that changes the conversation around a team, and the secondary is a big reason why. Tampa Bay sits first in expected points added per play allowed this season, with Jacob Parrish emerging as one of the leagues most disruptive young corners thanks to his sticky coverage and willingness to help against the run.
Parrishs rise has also given Todd Bowles another piece to lean on as the pass rush keeps coming along behind him, with contributions from players such as Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby. The bigger question now is how far this defense can go if the back end keeps erasing throws and the front continues to build pressure, because the Bucs are no longer just surviving on defense, theyre starting to dictate games. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Sees Something Different In This Bucs Turnaround
The Buccaneers have gone from an 0-4 start to a 3-5 record, and the timing of the turnaround has made the past two weeks feel especially important. Tampa Bay has stacked consecutive divisional wins over the Panthers and Falcons, with Baker Mayfield back after a thumb injury and watching the group respond in a way that was hard to find early in the season.
Mayfield has pointed to the teams progress and unity since returning, and the Bucs now sit close behind Carolina in the NFC South with more key division games ahead. For a team that looked buried only a few weeks ago, the next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether this surge is a short burst or something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Anzalone Just Changed A Big Buccaneers Defensive Conversation
The Buccaneers defense spent Sunday making a point, and Alex Anzalone was right at the center of it. Tampa Bay controlled Atlanta from the opening series and rolled to a 16-0 shutout, with the defense turning the game into a turnover-heavy slog that never let Michael Penix Jr. settle in.
Anzalone was the most disruptive piece of that effort, helping set the tone for a unit that came away with four interceptions overall. For a defense that has been looking to define itself, the performance offered a clear snapshot of what it can look like when the pressure, coverage and takeaway chances all show up at once. [Read more 🡒]