How Much Of Losing Streak Is On Baker Mayfield?
December 17th, 2025
Points finger at Bucs QB.
Let Joe be clear on this: Joe firmly believes the Bucs’ defense is why the team went from perhaps being a No. 1 seed to now fighting for their playoff lives.
Having typed that, it hasn’t helped Baker Mayfield seems to be in the worst slump of his Bucs days. Fortunately, Mayfield is showing signs he’s climbing out of the rut.
On the hollering show “The Arena — Gridiron,” featuring former Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib and the notorious provocateur Skip Bayless (former Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy often appears but not on this episode), the subject was how much has Mayfield’s subpar play since the bye week hurt Tampa Bay.
Bayless seemed to want to absolve Mayfield of any responsibility but not Talib, who thinks Mayfield’s bad play has a lot to do with the losing.
Skip Bayless: Baker Mayfield “has not played to Baker’s ability, the last five games. We have three games to go. So we’ll see.
Aqib Talib: “We can’t put him on a pedestal, Skip. We have to look at his whole career. His whole career has been pretty much like this season. I ain’t saying it is all on Baker. But it’s little more than 15 percent. … Like 60/40.
Bayless: “I’m going to give you 60 on this. Baker deserves 60 on this just because a quarterback always deserves the most blame.
Well, Mayfield surely wasn’t the culprit on Thursday night. No, he wasn’t great. His late pick and another poor throw didn’t help, but Mayfield did have his best game in over a month.
Maybe that’s because Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returned and the cavalry has arrived? Maybe because Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard finally used the tight end position as a weapon?
No, Mayfield wasn’t perfect but he did have arguably his best game since the Bucs lost to New England. Hopefully, that’s a good sign for the next three weeks and into the playoffs.
@arenagridiron How much is Baker to blame for the Bucs struggles right now? #buccaneers #gobucs #nfl ♬ original sound – ArenaGridiron
December 17th, 2025 at 7:05 am
None
He is the LEAST on the teams problems
If everyone played with his passion we wouldn’t be having these head chopping conversations
December 17th, 2025 at 7:09 am
I posted this last week and it’s still true.
Baker Mayfield has 59 wins and 61 losses over his career. He is what his record says he is.
He is an average NFL quarterback who, if given enough help he will win games.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:18 am
Baker is a servicable QB. He’ll never be confused with Josh Allen who can carry a team on his back. He’s good enough to win with, but he needs more help than an elite talent like Allen. Losing Coen really has set him back. Coaching matters. People were calling Lawerence a bust. Under Coen he’s been improving every week, putting up 48 points last week. If the Bucs promoted Coen, and he got to pick his DC like he has in J Ville, we’d be contending for the NFC title at the very least. Bowles has to go, take Licht with him.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:20 am
If Baker would’ve had the accuracy to get EE the ball he would’ve been the hero but he choked. No, it’s definitely not all his fault but during the losing streak the offense could’ve put some the games away and didn’t.
Talib is right, Baker is playing the way he always has. Flashes of brilliance here and there but mostly average to below average play overall.
Can he make better decisions and be more accurate? We’ll see
December 17th, 2025 at 7:21 am
It’s pretty easy to point to that late INT being the killer but the defense couldn’t stop a fourth amd a mile, so…
December 17th, 2025 at 7:29 am
I don’t even look at the INT being the killer. It’s the fact that we were 6 plays from closing out the game and couldn’t get a 1st down. This team was rolling with 1st downs all game until the 4th quarter. That’s on Baker sorry.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:29 am
Hodad, I concur, Baker really misses Coen. It’s also true that most teams have a giant, reliable, field chewing safety valve of a tight end who is ALWAYS open. We do not have that. Give Culp a chance, I know he’s not a huge guy but he seems sure handed and he is fast.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:38 am
Our interior O line has been a problem all year, mix that with some inconsistent playcalling and of course the Offense will slump. No excuses now. We could have the 4 best receiver combination in NFL history. Get creative Grizz, get Mayfield outside the pocket more. Gotta overcome your weak link, hint, his last name starts with an F.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:39 am
lol… We suffered 5 years of Jamyth and there were still people defending him on this page!
The slumps over the past 3 years have had NOTHING to do with Baker, sure he has individually had bad games but overall he’s the LEAST of our concerns.
He was playing MVP football at the beginning of the year….
December 17th, 2025 at 7:42 am
Poor Defense, un-Special Teams, and injuries have gutted this team, simple as that. Can’t blame Baker for those.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:43 am
O-line play is Baker’s problem now, and really most of the season, especially the past half dozen games or so. They haven’t been very good, but that’s because of all the injuries this year. I think that would be the case with any teams QB if their o-line’s were decimated by injuries.
That’s where having an experienced OC to get creative to compensate for that would have come in handy…obviously we don’t have that!
December 17th, 2025 at 7:43 am
IMO it’s certainly not none and it’s certainly not 60%.
I agree he is not a tier one qb. He needs a lot of things to go right around him to put up tier one stats. I don’t think he’ll ever get there but if he did he would need an offensive HC that understands the development of a qb, even into the middle part of their careers. If you watched Brady in NE, he was not at the ‘goat’ level until they started investing in weapons around him. After welker and moss left Brady was able to evolve into throwing to TEs and no name receivers. It’s because he was confident enough to run the entire offense. That had so much to do with Mcdaniels.
Baker is not making enough of the pre snap reads. You can tell because he’s taking too many hits and he’s nervous in the pocket. Is some of that on the line? Of course. Especially up the middle and that’s why he’s in such a hurry to get rid of the ball and/or hold onto it to avoid the middle rush to make a play with his legs. But there are other times where he’s missing the free rusher and it’s on him.
It’s understandable – he’s been beat up. Not having enough weapons on the outside winning quick enough and not having enough guys in front of him keeping him clean.
Next year with enough health (and you can’t count on Godwin, McMillan, Evans or Luke) hopefully he can bounce back and return to tier two form and keep developing.
I think the team is going to need more investment into the line and another weapon on the outside in addition to the large haul we will need on defense.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Oh yeah, and make Otton a backup.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:52 am
I think Baker has been hurt. He is missing throws. If he hits Ebuka and doesn’t throe the ball behind him, Game over. Top QB’s make that throw.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:56 am
Bucs lost the ATL game because of the defense blowing a 14pt lead. Bucs didn’t win that game because Baker couldn’t complete a pass to JMac. It was a team loss. Time to get right in Carolina on Sunday.
December 17th, 2025 at 7:59 am
There’s a video on YouTube of the all 22 against the falcons. All Baker haters should watch it.
The GCG combo is a HUGE problem. Two back up guards, you expect sub par play but Barton is a major disappointment. He’s dangerously close to bust status. At least at center. Baker missed some throws. The film highlights that as well, but Baker is not the problem.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:04 am
What a joke. Mayfield playing behind a jv line with jv receivers and his own injuries gets raked over the coals by a bunch of duds. Through it all Mayfield is still on pace to have a better Year3 with Tampa than Year 1. If people think being an NFL qb is a game of perfect, way past time to get real. Without Mayfield this team would be 3-11. With Mayfield and a non existent defense, this team ends the season 9-8 or 10-7. We will soon see.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:06 am
99% Bowles 1% Baker
December 17th, 2025 at 8:08 am
Baker has been a smidge above lousy since Detroit. Now, whether that’s because of injuries, Xs and Os, or a combination of both, it’s hard to say. But he’s missing guys high, low, wide and short. He’s not seeing open receivers-wide open receivers-too. It’s a problem.
What’s not a problem is the dude’s heart. His effort. His willingness to lay it on the line for his team.
Gotta take the good with the bad Baker.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:08 am
Are we going to just forget that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were injured or coming off injury? Yes, Baker was inaccurate on key throws, that is on him, but he is also dealing with an injury and what about that SIEVE of an OL in the last two games?
Literally the OL has regressed and dealing with their own injuries. But, this is a collective failure that starts with coaching.
Are we going to blame the players for the Special Teams debacle? All of a sudden those guys forgot how to cover kicks?
December 17th, 2025 at 8:09 am
SB~LV
You brought up Winston, out of curiosity I looked up his career w/l record.
44 wins and 64 losses.
Granted, Winston has been a backup since he was let go from Tampa but his record isn’t terribly different from Baker’s.
And for the record, the Rams wanted to keep Baker, as a backup.
All that said, I think Baker is a decent quarterback. He just needs everything to go right. For all the passion and “moxie” he plays the game with he can’t put a team on his back and carry the day.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:10 am
Taking an opportunity to close the game with a score, and giving the ball back to the opposing team is just bad football.
No way to argue that around, and who knows we score there and go up 2 possessions after burning more clock maybe 3 & 28 doesn’t even happen or becomes less significant. Situational football is a thing, happened in the playoffs the last two trips too.
Before that play we were +1 in the turnover battle, it’s pretty well documented teams winning the turnover margin win NFL games 70% of the time. For the record, we’re +9 in that same area on the season.
Turnovers are game changers, we’ve benefitted from them and we’ve been victimized as a team, but that’s also another area this offense has struggled with is cashing turnovers in for touchdowns, scoring points in the redzone, 4th quarter which we rank 29th of 32 teams.
Standards of QB play in this fanbase are low, a lot of you guys give Baker a pass because he tries really, really, hard which is his best attribute because not like he’s a disciple of his craft or some difference making athlete physically.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:16 am
The first 6-7 weeks he looked MVP-ish, even with backup WR’s, then the train came off the tracks. The Lions figured out that said backups can’t defeat man coverage, Baker got hurt, lost Bredeson, I would place a $100 wager that Baker has some sort of injury that will require off-season surgery.
Yeah, I think he’s got happy feet too, line Brady did that last season. Getting hit hurts too much
December 17th, 2025 at 8:19 am
Just imagine if we had Coen coaching Baker right now. How many pts we’d be scoring!
December 17th, 2025 at 8:20 am
“Joe firmly believes the Bucs’ defense is why the team went from perhaps being a No. 1 seed to now fighting for their playoff lives.”
I agree, and I would add injuries to the O-line have directly hurt Baker’s performance even more. NOTHING affects a QB like a weak O-line. By comparison, Mahomes drop off this season is directly related to the injuries for his O-line.
HOWEVER, if I looked at it the way the Baker haters, like Munch and Warren see it, I would say look at Josh Allen’s play. His defense sucks, it might be worse than the Bucs D. Yet, Allen is in serious running for MVP. The Bucs saw it first hand. Allen is the reason the Bills are winning and Baker needs to play better for us to succeed.
With ME and McMillan back, we have a better chance for Baker to get his head right and turn it around than to hope for a miracle from the dreadfully bad Bucs D and their coach.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:24 am
My answers are ONLY in the context of this team and the players around Baker,
Is he among the top QB’s in the NFL today, no .
But he would probably have the same results that the best QB’s in the NFL if he was playing on their teams.
Baker is MORE than capable and the least of the franchise’s worries this year.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:25 am
35% Baker
15% Grizz
10% Licht
40% Bowles
Turnovers in the 4th quarter are nothing new with baker….
-INT vs DET in the playoffs
-Fumble vs WASH in the playoffs
-INT and missed throw vs ATL
the list goes on lol…him being hurt isnt an excuse…most players are “hurt” in DEC….KILLER INSTICT that baker talks aboput is him hitting EE2 for a 1st down or not forcing the ball to a WR when they are double covered…
Grizz is over his head…too predictable and doesnt know how to stay with the run game…
Licht shouldve traded for an edge player or interior olineman
Bowles is embarrassing to say the least…..outdated defensive scheme, no sense of urgency and too damn nice…..special teams coach goofed around all season and he still has a job….players have been loafing or bored and no one has been sent to the bench or sent packing…players are literally going thru the motions…
time for change…
GO BUCS!!!!
December 17th, 2025 at 8:25 am
Yeah, Baker is definitely average at best. He needs a great o-line and great skill players to be successful. And the current freefall the bucs are in is totally on him. I don’t know why everyone’s so surprised that the defense sucks. They’ve been this way for years. It’s nothing new
December 17th, 2025 at 8:30 am
How many games were won due to the defense? How many did Baker pull off in spite of the lousy defense??????
December 17th, 2025 at 8:31 am
Whats so funny is that now all of a sudden, an Int doesnt matter. LOL… listen to yourselves bucs fans… you are sitting here saying that a QB throwing ints and being inaccurate is the least of our concerns…. My oh my, joe how the times have changed. Baker has sucked and its facts, not an opinion. Look up the stats… but but but he’s hurt, his oline his hurt, blah, blah blah… if the bucs had lets say, josh allen, they would be 11-3. Hell if the bucs had sam darnold they would be 11-3.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:33 am
Baker was playing with 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th string wide receivers. They weren’t getting OPEN. Why is this so hard to understand? We really should be using rb’s and te’s as quick outlets to take the heat off the guards a bit. And definitely roll baker out more. Guards are giving WAY TOO MUCH GROUND.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:35 am
Another nice thing about rolling Baker is he can throw the ball away at any time if nothing is developing. Do it more. Adjust his release point. And run MORE.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:35 am
WBL, you are full of it. Not like he’s a disciple of his craft? He’s got the 2nd most TD passes of any NFL QB the last 3 years. I think he’s at the top of the list in scrambling for first downs. In 3 years he’s gone 3-1 each year against NFC North, East, and West divisions. He’s one of the very best QBs in all of football WBL.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:40 am
Coen>Canales>Grizz. Baker just needs some continuity for god sake. Should’ve canned Bowles for Cohen. Would’ve been a much better situation then when we did the Koetter Lovie move.
December 17th, 2025 at 8:42 am
I’m neither a Baker nut hugger, like Skip, or a Baker basher. But he is who he is, a roller coaster QB. Not at the level of Famous Jameis, but he def is inconsistant. A lot of it has to do with how reckless he plays sometimes.