Huge MVP Opportunity For Baker Mayfield
November 21st, 2025
NFL fans heard the endless buzz earlier this season for Baker Mayfield’s late-game heroics and his status as a strong MVP candidate.
And then it all disappeared.
The NFL is the ultimate week-to-week league. The hype cycle doesn’t last long and media and fans will forget you in a hurry. But they’ll also put you right back in the spotlight if earned.
Baker Mayfield will have that kind of opportunity Sunday night against the Rams. If Mayfield can put a depleted Bucs offense on his back with a big game and beat the mighty Rams to up the Bucs’ record to 7-4 on national TV, Mayfield will find himself right back in the MVP spotlight.
The Rams (8-2) have arguably the NFL’s hottest team and best defense (ESPN graphic below). The nation, including all those media panelists with an MVP vote, will be watching.
Mayfield has 17 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions this season. What if he can up that to 21 TDs and 3 interceptions and kick start the Bucs to a 12-win season, and beat top MVP candidate Matthew Stafford of the Rams in the process?
It’s a big game for Mayfield’s status and potential summer contract extension, not just a big game for the Bucs.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:30 am
Baker will need to help put up 45 points for the Bucs to win.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:31 am
Winning cures all, just go out and win Bucs
November 21st, 2025 at 8:32 am
@bucma, I was thinking more like 145 lol
November 21st, 2025 at 8:40 am
I love the Bucs, ain’t no way in hell we win Sunday. Take the Rams and the points.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:43 am
Hang that thought up there is no chance in hell Tampa is going to LA and stomping that ass welcome to six and five.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:44 am
Guarantee winning the MVP is the furthest thing from Baker’s mind.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:51 am
Are you kidding me? What have you seen the last 2 games to suggest that Mayfield might throw 4 TDs? Sure, I’d like to see that, but it just isn’t going to happen given the current state of our offense. Forget the MVP discussion. I’d just be happy to see the Bucs pull off an upset.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:52 am
50 or lose, that is my prediction. Tucker has to run 3 TD’s, and we need at least 3 TD’s among Emeka, and Tez.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:00 am
Bucs WILL LOSE SUNDAY NIGHT. Bc the Rams are the much better and healthier team! Bc our defense is in shambles at the moment. Bc Baker has been playing below average since after the 49ers game. Bc The Bucs and Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield have an abysmal night game record. Let’s move on to the Cards game.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:01 am
Grizz does not know how to put up points, evidence of Bucs scoring in the Gold and Red zone. All he had was Evans now he does not know how to put points on the board. Licht did not bring in talent before trade deadline. Bowles defense is trash, that’s right I said it a complete hotbed of trash. I am sure people watch the edge rushers last night on the leagues crown prince Josh Allen, that dude was scared. Did you see him scared against the Bucs? NOPE
Baker can only take this team with this talent so far. Blame this on coaching and a smug GM. Lights out, season is over and even if they do make the playoffs it is one and done. Bowles plays to lose. Grizz is clueless and this team lacks mental toughness, always looking for someone else to make the tackle.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:15 am
Wow talk about fantasy football. If Baker had , CG, ME, JM, B E, I think we would still be talking Baker for MVP. However, yes it takes 11 on offense to make a team and Baker, just doesn’t have enough around him to have an mvp night. Then you have the Bucs defense and the Rams offense, which means the Bucs offense may not be on the field that much. Baker may do more watching than playing. Thhis game has a real chance to be a complete and total blow out unfortunately. The only reason I might turn this game on is if Chris Godwin plays. Yes it would be great to see him take the field again. I am definately a big Buc fan and as such don’t think I can stomach to see this game. Unfortunately this game may only add to our reputation of playing poorly in prime time.. This game has that potential and likely be a total blowout. Yes it will be to hard to stomach.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:28 am
Baker as MVP is so colossally stupid. He’s not even top 10. Rams 35 Yucs 13. Game will be over by 9:15pm.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:30 am
I don’t think I’ll skip my pre work nap for this game… Maybe catch the start or so, but this game is looking brutal
November 21st, 2025 at 9:32 am
Well, it certainly looks bleak for us this week. We often lay eggs in primetime and we don’t play well on the West Coast very often anyway. We are just good enough that the Rams won’t dare take us for granted, but they still have good reason to be confident.
But we can confuse and confound the Rams just fine by playing a normal defense for once. Stafford drops back expecting Vita Via to cover his slot receiver, but he gets Jacob Parrish instead…or whoever is playing nickel. I guess Parrish might be playing corner.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:32 am
IF, if the Bucs run and run and run and run, Baker could pass just enough to win this one.
The Rams defense is 11th against the run – 110.7 yards per game. The Bucs are 10th – 100.4 yards per game.
The Rams defense is 21st against the pass – 222 yards per game. The Bucs are 27th against the pass – 242 yards per game.
The Rams defense is 10th in sacks with 27; the Bucs are tied for 11th with 26.
The Bucs ran for 5 yards per carry against the Patriots when Patriots had the best run defense in the NFL. The Bucs should be able to run against the Rams’ 11th ranked run defense.
The Bucs defense is not as strong as those numbers suggest without Reddick. Reddick wasn’t racking up big sack numbers, but his pressures where setting up sacks for Diaby, the DTs and assorted blitzers.
So, the Bucs offense needs to keep the Bucs defense off the field by running the ball every time their is a chance and a choice.
The Rams have mostly given up only short gains to the run. But, sometimes tight ends have opened holes for some big runs against the Rams. And, tight ends have also made some big catches against the Rams. It makes no sense to me that the Bucs did not pick up a TE/FB to replace Ko Kieft when he was injured. But, the Rams are a team that the Bucs could grind away at with steady three, four and five yard gains if they had that extra bit of umpf at the point of attack. Heck looks like someone who could line up at FB or as a TE in motion to blast open the point of attack running between the guard and tackle or to the outside.
The one thing that the Bucs cannot do is just plant Baker in the shotgun with a big target painted on his chest. The run effort must be real, sustained, and used enough on second and third and fourth downs and two point tries that it cannot be ignored. And, every play needs play action or razzle dazzle of some sort with plenty of chipping on pass plays. And, every pass play needs a hot read route that opens immediately.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:33 am
He’ll have to play at that level to overcome Bowles getting out coached by McVay. Again.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:44 am
Mayfield has literally no shot at being MVP this year. None.
Grizz has no shot at becoming a HC next year.
The Bucs have no shot at winning the Super Bowl this year, or any time under Bowles.
I understand a certain amount of blindness and illogical thinking comes with being a fan (short for fanatic, look it up) but you guys need to pump the brakes.
This has been a rinse and repeat season and next year will be the same if Bowles is allowed to stay.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:55 am
Oh please!
I love Baker but he is Not having that type of year, started like he might be but that was a long time ago play wise.
November 21st, 2025 at 10:02 am
No one thought Miami or Houston would beat Buffalo, anything can happen, teams get cocky and don’t show up, injuries happen, you just never know, only thing you can count on is Bowles dropping DL to cover slot receivers, DBs playing 10 yards off, my personal favorite, incompetent game management
November 21st, 2025 at 10:07 am
as much as i’d like to see the bucs win on sunday it seems like a longshot with the current injuries and poor play by the D…. add in the flu bug and it just gets worse.
baker has cleaned up the INT problem from last year, i hope it continues. mvp is another longshot though….