Baker Mayfield, Bucs Won A Night Game!
September 15th, 2025
Statement.
This was not just another victory.
Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield shook off serious demons in Houston. It’s even got Joe thinking about February, and that has nothing to do with the NBA All-Star Game’s new format.
Baker Mayfield was 1-7 as an NFL quarterback on Monday night entering tonight’s thrilling 20-19 win against the Texans. Bowles had a 3-9 record at night as a Bucs head coach. And neither wanted to say publicly that it was anything more than a coincidence, just a couple of guys and their teams having bad luck on Mondays.
Nonsense.
Joe doesn’t know what the Bucs tweaked entering tonight’s game. But it looked like something significant — perhaps a meeting the special teams weren’t invited to.
The game plan looked sound, especially defensively, and somehow the Bucs survived the Charlie Heck experience at right tackle.
Heck’s appearence was eerily similar to Justin Skule entering the Bucs-Lions game for an injured Luke Goedeke last year. That also was in Week 2 and early in the game. Skule also struggled like Heck (against Aiden Hutchinson) but the Bucs managed a huge road victory like they did tonight.
No situation is too big for Mayfield, so he should be better at night. If he had been feeling a lack of confidence, this huge comeback “W” should wipe out the bad vibes.
The Bucs have three more night games this season: at the Lions and Rams, and home for the Falcons.
September 15th, 2025 at 10:47 pm
Man that last drive was epic. Still can’t believe Baker and the boys pulled it off! Defense balled out tonight
September 15th, 2025 at 10:48 pm
“Nonsense”. I knew it all along!!
September 15th, 2025 at 10:51 pm
Our Defense was stout tonight……..they scored on two short fields with the blocked punt and the punt return.
After the initial Texans TD we settled down and played very tough.
We need to find a way to start faster on D.
September 15th, 2025 at 10:52 pm
And that was on a top 10 defense!!! Too funny boys🤣🏴☠️
September 15th, 2025 at 10:53 pm
Big plays by Baker, Irving, and White on that last play ….
BUT!!!!
Give it up for the OL. ONE natural starter and they did the job against a ferocious defense.
GAME BALL = Kevin Carberry, OL coach.
September 15th, 2025 at 10:54 pm
Can you IMAGINE what we would do IF we were 100% healthy!?!?!
September 15th, 2025 at 10:54 pm
Can you say Franchise QB? How could anyone not be a fan of Baker Mayfield?
September 15th, 2025 at 10:55 pm
“Perhaps a meeting the special teams weren’t invited to”. Gold
September 15th, 2025 at 10:55 pm
That putrid pass defense certainly gave me some gray hairs, but at least they made some plays still waiting for a turnover and I don’t mean Apple.
September 15th, 2025 at 10:57 pm
Was the Punter on Medication or something? Just takes his own sweet time seeing he’s about to be swarmed. Almost had another kick blocked. Release him with the Special Teams Coordinator.
September 15th, 2025 at 10:59 pm
Someone said that was our first win ever in Houston. If true – add that to the list of new accomplishments.
Huge win tonight! Heart is starting to slow now.
Love it – great job!!
September 15th, 2025 at 11:00 pm
PS What happened to Rod Munch who wanted the great Kyle Trask to start over Mayfield and didn’t wany Mayfield to start?
September 15th, 2025 at 11:03 pm
Not only was Josh Grizzard’s offensive playcalling bad again but several bucs have tells. Like Rashad White’s standing position when he is about to run the ball. It’s so obvious. Kind of like how Trask’s but was higher or lower when he was going to pass or hand off.
September 15th, 2025 at 11:04 pm
Everyone said the Texan’s defense would be too much for the Bucs to handle with a shuffled offensive line. It appeared that way until the last drive by Baker Mayfield which was epic…80 yard drive leaving only 6 seconds remaining on the clock.
Talk about taking the jaws of defeat by the throat with a win people will be talking about all the way into the 2025 playoffs
September 15th, 2025 at 11:06 pm
Stroud can’t move like Baker. Both o-lines sucked tonight resulting in low scoring game.
Stroud will get a big payday soon but the kid can’t move that well. When the Texans eventually have to pay him then how much do have left for an o-line.
Stroud is starting to look like a middling qb.
Just saying.
Also, Morrison was said to be very handsy in coverage tonight and he got called. Parrish looks a lot better than him.
September 15th, 2025 at 11:19 pm
The good thing about the NFL vs NCAA is that the W is the ONLY thing that matters for your ranking.
September 15th, 2025 at 11:39 pm
Charter Buc fan here….cannot begin to tell you how many times 0ovrt the past fifty years we have found ways to lose these types of games…….especially in the final 2 minutes if a ballgame, emotional win for the eldest generation of buc fans In the criwd, zBaker has a contagious energy that makes everyone believe in the win. LFG …..
September 15th, 2025 at 11:40 pm
EPIC LAST MINUTE 80 YARD DRIVE ON A TOP 10 DEFENSE🏴☠️!! 😎 Seems like we did the same thing last week or am I dreaming?? Rod, Melvin?? Any thoughts??
September 16th, 2025 at 12:10 am
It felt like a Superbowl win to me with that last drive!
September 16th, 2025 at 4:23 am
Its obviously time to start looking at FG kickers Jason…..and get that punter on some red bull
September 16th, 2025 at 4:38 am
Edge of your seat two weeks in a row. Baker is magical. And the stunned faces of Houston was priceless. They thought they had the game.
September 16th, 2025 at 7:02 am
heyjude, when Chubb scored and I saw those Texans start celebrating- right after I’d seen Baker on the bench resting his eyes- I think he was praying to get the ball back- I knew the game was over. I’ve seen that happen more than a time or two. It took the entire team to win that game but in my opinion the defense won those first two games. Won’t be long before the offense starts getting it together. We’re a good football team but 2 games in this show hasn’t even started.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:00 am
Key doc Says:
“Charter Buc fan here….cannot begin to tell you how many times 0ovrt the past fifty years we have found ways to lose these types of games……”
Soooo many times.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:03 am
Addb Says:
“The good thing about the NFL vs NCAA is that the W is the ONLY thing that matters for your ranking.”
Stats matter in NFL rankings. If two division teams tie and split games, for example. I think the team with better stats ranks higher?
September 16th, 2025 at 8:06 am
MadMax Says
“Its obviously time to start looking at FG kickers Jason…..”
At this point, I 100% disagree. He is the most accurate kicker in Bucs history. You don’t give up on that after 2 bad games.
He’ll come out of it. Even the best have streaks.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:45 am
May be time to try a different holder. Riley Dixon is new, and he is the difference between last two years and now. Go back and watch the first miss in Atlanta and you will see he had the laces to the side instead of out. That will cause a miss. Every time. And we saw last night that Riley is sometimes…a little casual aboouut doing things
While it’s typical to have the punter be the placeholder, it doesn’t have to be. What we have now is obviously not working. BUT – I’m sure the Bucs coaches are already working on something.
We will need him to be reliable again. Or get a new kicker – quick!
September 16th, 2025 at 8:50 am
This team’s nickname is the Cardiac Bucs. The reason is simple: heartbreaking losses in the last few minutes/seconds. I gotta say it: Grizzard had to get gutsy/creative in that final drive. Otherwise, his Offense would have thrown him off the plank starting with Bake. Great, great win Bucs!
September 16th, 2025 at 9:01 am
Kenton
Agree that the Bucs have a good football team. All teams have to fight through injuries. Pity my cousins who live across the river from Cincy and have season tickets to the Bengals. Their star QB gone for the season with “turf toe”
The Bucs have made it so far but poor Charlie Heck!! Hopefully Chumwaka can learn the game of American Football very quickly. Limited experience playing football period but reportedly a major physical talent.
What worries me now are the two kickers especially McLaughlin. Kickers are head cases and they can lose it seemingly overnight. I feel pretty sure Jason is scouring the wires for kickers just in case.
When you realize the two kickers GAVE Houston six points and a couple of serious momentum swings, it’s a testament to the Bucs that they still managed to overcome TOTAL FAILURE from the kicking game.
September 16th, 2025 at 9:46 am
This is why stats don’t matter Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and 4 TD and he threw a pick in overtime and they lost. That one pick lost the game and Jalen Hurts barley threw over a 100 yards and they won . I rather for Baker to keep playing cluch football and we win than to throw for 500 yards and 5 TD and fumble the ball or throw a pick late in a game and we lose. Good job Baker Mayfield I have to call it like I see it.
September 16th, 2025 at 10:08 am
“Laces out Dan”. Too soon to give up on kicker. I would have thought after almost having the punt before blocked they would have seen the rush coming. I can’t believe Baker caused his own fumble, when you start to run tuck the ball, they had that 1st down if he doesn’t fumble and can close the game out. I thought the run game was really good and Grizz got out of it there for a while and I think they should have stayed in it, but overall pretty good. The Texans have a very good defense
September 16th, 2025 at 2:29 pm
I share concern about the kickers, especially Chase since last year. One, is he being distracted in some way by having to do kickoff duties? It seems to me the mechanics and mentality are different, especially with the new rules. Second, as someone mentioned, the punter is now the default holder. It was not always thus.
I seem to remember in days of yore it was the backup quarterback because he was expected to have hands and to be accustomed to receiving a snap. Where is Kyle Trask when we need him?
September 16th, 2025 at 2:31 pm
OOPs! I meant “have good hands.”