Cutting Down On Turnovers
February 24th, 2026
Accepting bad with the good.
Look, Joe can live with Baker Mayfield’s German shorthaired pointer puppy approach to football. It’s exciting and fun and it galvanizes the Bucs.
But it also leads to injuries and, worse, turnovers.
That’s the only conclusion Joe can reach after seeing this ugly stat on Mayfield. Apparently, he was responsible for 88 percent of all Bucs turnovers last season. That’s not good. That was the highest of any player for any NFL team.
But if you neuter Mayfield’s playing style, you have also neutered his effectiveness. Mayfield is a lesser player when he doesn’t play his way.
For example, last year Mayfield had 11 picks and 11 fumbles. In 2024, Mayfield led the NFL in picks (16) and fumbles (14) yet threw for 4,500 yards (third in NFL) and was second in the NFL in touchdowns (41).
So with Mayfield, you have to take the bad with the good. You pretty much have to accept he eventually will get dinged up, and he will turn the ball over.
The riddle here is, can those elements be toned down without cutting off Mayfield’s sack (production)?
It’s a delicate balance.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:16 am
7 of those guys on the list were on playoff teams, so is this a big deal? Baker is fine. We need defense.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:24 am
True. But you need points to win games. Second half of the season, our offense couldn’t get it done . No team wins like that.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:26 am
Give him a defense where he doesn’t always have to play catch up and the turnovers will decrease.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:27 am
“But here is the trick with Mayfield: If you neuter his playing style, you have also neutered his effectiveness. Mayfield is a lesser player when he doesn’t play his way.“
Pretty sure the word here should be improve. You do enough of a bad thing you don’t just shrug your shoulders and go about it the way you have been without at least considering ways to be better and expecting the bad thing to improve.
Maybe, Mayfield can improve his game to be more efficient, consistent, & less volatile from the pocket. Oh, and improve against man coverage as he’s got his NFL life to play for in 2026. Can’t stink it up and expect Tampa to remain home.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:28 am
That was also my first observation, BA. Seems like Baker is in pretty good company.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:43 am
Fix the defense so he does not have to play ‘catch up. MOST losses this season were on Todd’s side of the ball NOT holding a lead.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:50 am
Deeboooo. You’re gonna have to correct your “no team wins like that” statement. The Super Bowl champs had a QB that led the league in picks. Oh yeah, and seven of those QBs on the list made the playoffs. And Joe, fumbles aren’t always turnovers. You can do better than that.
February 24th, 2026 at 9:55 am
Wow definitely a lot like Brett Farve, which has been said by a few in the past
February 24th, 2026 at 10:03 am
“The Super Bowl champs had a QB that led the league in picks. Oh yeah, and seven of those QBs on the list made the playoffs. And Joe, fumbles aren’t always turnovers.“
Framing this like sucking is what got them to the SB for the sake of comparison is hilarious
More “yea buts” plz
February 24th, 2026 at 10:03 am
Keaton, my ‘no team wins like that’ reference is in terms of offense scoring points, not interceptions. Sorry if it was confusing.
And I don’t think bakers interceptions are due to him playing catch up due to a Todd Bowles defense. Baker has always thrown a lot of picks, it’s who he is – much like Farve
February 24th, 2026 at 10:04 am
When your desperate, because your defense cant make a stop,you force things trying to make a play,as far as fumbles im sure the protection broke down,its not like was running down field and just dropped the ball..I would change a thing about baker hes a playmaker with heart!
February 24th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Dee,captain obvious!
February 24th, 2026 at 10:12 am
It’s about when those turnovers happen. Can’t be turning the ball over on would be game winning/tying drives.
February 24th, 2026 at 10:23 am
That stat seems to indicate teams without a lot of fumblers. Eleven INTs is not so bad, but they need to protect him better to cut down on qb fumbles. He seemed panicky at times.
The offensive line is job one. It should be the strength of the team if it gets healthy.
February 24th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Once, Tom Brady threw 3 interceptions in one game (I think it was against Green Bay). The defence did not allow GB to get ANY points off them. Do you guys remember that?
February 24th, 2026 at 10:35 am
A stupid stat! What happens if other players like RB’s, WR’s, TE’s fumble? What happens if you have OL injuries and the QB gets stripped of the ball?
February 24th, 2026 at 10:36 am
Baker will be 32 years old this year when the season starts he is who he is at this point of his career. He’s a bridge quarterback and you can’t give him more than 2 years at this point if he plays good. But he throws late 4th quarters picks that losses games or keep the other teams in the game. This is why he’s 1-9 in prime time games and go look at the scores of those games other than the Rams games the second half of the season. The Seahawks played the same way we did against the Rams and Sam Donald kept them in the game why because he can actually see over the line. And he didn’t throw no picks the whole game and that’s why they won .
February 24th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Remember, 2 of those interceptions were screwjob calls where the ball was pulled away from Otton….
Sooooo, he really only had 9 interceptions..
February 24th, 2026 at 10:54 am
Oneilbuc. He’s 30 years old. You learned your arithmetic at the same school that taught you grammar. To be fair, you did finish at the top of your class.
February 24th, 2026 at 10:56 am
One could argue the Falcons lost the division because they lost a game to the Jets where the Falcons dominated every statistical category except they made 1 costly turnover on a punt that gave the Jets an easy TD and that was the difference in the game.
OLine health and effectiveness will be key to Bucs managing turnovers and points scored.
February 24th, 2026 at 10:57 am
For the 137th time, Baker is the same height as Drew Brees. Drew Brees had a pro Bowl interior line to counteract that
February 24th, 2026 at 11:13 am
Baker is on the Gene Smith path, living off one big year, which looks like that year had more to do with Cohen than anticipated, the rest of his career has been meh, the media says Geno is a really good quarterback, but he’s average at best
February 24th, 2026 at 11:17 am
Probably not the popular opinion right now, but Canales worked with Baker on getting the ball out in under 2.5 seconds a few years ago and I think that may be a way to get Baker to play within a bit more of a comfort zone for the team. He was still agressive but seemed less likely to give up his body and or the football.
Go Bucs!
February 24th, 2026 at 11:31 am
Guzzie55. Being an OU fan I watched Geno Smith playing at WVirginia plenty of times and I can’t really agree with a single thing you just said. He set the all time NFL record for TD passes as a rookie and won 7 games that same year with a team coming off 1-31 the previous 2 years. By his third year he’d won 11 games plus a playoff game. His second year the idiot Browns hired a new head coach and for Cleveland they still had a great season. His 4th year was his broken shoulder year and still it was pure warrior mode. 5th year was on Browns roster til March, then Panthers and Rams. Last 3 years with the Bucs. 3 solid years. In fact Guzzie55, I don’t think you have a clue what you’re talking about comparing a first pick Heismann winner to Geno Smith. Mayfield has similar or better statistics for his first 8 years in the league than all QBs in the hall of fame. Are you sure your handle is guzzie55 or is it guzzle55?
February 24th, 2026 at 11:38 am
Mayfield is 27-24 in the regular season as a Buc. And 1-2 in the playoffs.
That is a total of 28-26 overall. Just barely above the 500 mark.
And that is all he will ever be in the NFL. Facts over feelings.
Those other QBs on the list also had DC’s capable of scheming a cogent game plan.
In Baker’s defense, he has a huge hole to overcome in Bowles as the HC\DC.
No NFL QB could turn that into a successful season. Bowles is pure trash.
February 24th, 2026 at 11:40 am
Guzzie55. In Geno Smith’s first 8 years in the league he had 29 td passes and 36 interceptions. And he had thrown for a grand total of 6300 yards. Truly Guzzle55, you should be ostracized from this point on concerning any comment you post.
February 24th, 2026 at 11:40 am
we are stuck w him
franchise qb
still hasn’t won the big playoff game here, did not put the team on his back and win any during the 2-7 collapse- he could have single handedly got us to the playoffs, should have called more audibles, scored more points, won more games, so dumb
wish him the best but he’s not TB
February 24th, 2026 at 11:49 am
Excuses and more excuses for this guy. Lol…some of yall act like the Bucs played from behind all season long in every game. There were games when the Bucs had the lead or were down less than a TD and he still gave the ball away. Especially in the 4th quarter.
By the way, he’s had a 4th quarter turnover in the last 2 playoff losses. Baker fans don’t care about that, they love losing watching their lord and savior play.
Its ok, no excuses this season. When Baker leads this team to a top 10 pick then he can go be some other teams problem. So Baker fans, what jersey will you be wearing next? Cardinals? Colts?
February 24th, 2026 at 11:51 am
Just wondering how much money the one dude in the world who tossed the second most td passes in the world over the last 3 years could make signing a 4 year contract next year would make? Prime QB years. I reckon if he holds off signing anything this year his market value would be teetering in the range of 250-300 million for 4 years. Anybody who thinks any different doesn’t have a clue and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Maybe you guys can get Jameis back.
February 24th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Running for your life after 0.5 seconds the entire game can wear any man down. The 4th quarter interceptions are concerning but I do believe that is fixable. Is it all on QB? Perhaps. WR miscommunication. OC play calling? Perhaps. Entire offense lost its mojo somehow. Find the mojo and all will be well.
February 24th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
LynchMob50. “And that is all he will ever be in the NFL. Facts over feelings”. So if you are an enough of a moron to say you know the future at least admit that that is your feelings. Kind of hard to understand what I’m saying, isn’t it Big Guy? The thought process isn’t for everyone, and you and Bee are proof enough of that. Now I know you guys are brimming with feelings, don’t let anything I say hurt those little buggers.
February 24th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
Goff was one point less. The solution is to grab Marriotta in Free agency so he can spell Baker when he is hurt.
February 24th, 2026 at 12:15 pm
That thing in the Washington playoff game, I don’t see why Baker was charged for a fumble when McMillan actually ran into him
February 24th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
Correct me if I am wrong but I think you can lay 2 of those picks at the feet of Cade Otton.
Lions and Rams games… those went as picks against Baker didn’t they? They were clearly Ottons fault.
February 24th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
MJ. You must be joking. Sure he can improve, but “stuck” with him? You should rethink a few things.
February 24th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Kenton Smith Says:
“So if you are an enough of a moron to say you know the future at least admit that that is your feelings.”
Looks like I managed to hurt your feelings.
Free rent inside the small minds on this board.
Baker will never lead a team to the SB. He simply isn’t capable.
February 24th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
All I know is two of those “turnovers” should have been credited to Otton.
February 24th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
I knew clowns would say: look, they made the playoffs lol…
thats low hanging fruit!!!!!
Bakers 4 4th quarter INTs in the last 5 games doomed the team!!!!
the baker fan club is a complete joke!!!!!…stop making excuses for this guy!!!!
the only way to improve bakers INTs are to take the ball out of his hands!!!!
you take the ball out his hands by running the ball….you improve running the game by drafting an OG in the 1st round this year!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
February 24th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Man, I seem to remember some amazing 4th quarter, final two minutes combbacks in the first third of the season. All he does is throw interceptions in crunch time is laughable.
February 24th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Scotty Mack Says:
February 24th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
All I know is two of those “turnovers” should have been credited to Otton.
several teams dropped baker INTs that were thrown right at them!!!
lions, patriots and the 1st panthers game come to mind
Baker couldve easily lead the NFL in INTs and fumbles in back to back years
GO BUCS!!!!
February 24th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
Some good coaching will help. Bowles has been retained and as head coach, will surely tell Robinson and Mayfield what needs to be done to correct the turnover defects. Bowles wears two hats and knows how to teach football .
February 24th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Scotty Mack Says:
February 24th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Man, I seem to remember some amazing 4th quarter, final two minutes combbacks in the first third of the season.
unfortunately, meaningful football is played in DEC & JAN not OCT & NOV….we went 3-1 in OCT and 1-3 in NOV…
guess many INTs baker threw in DEC, when our season was on the line and divisional games mattered the most?…..
baker hasnt had an “amazing” 4th quarter since OCT!!!!…LMAO
GO BUCS!!!!!
February 24th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
BAKER IS A LOSER
Baker lost 4 out of 5 games with a 4th Qtr INT
To win the last game, they avoided Baker passing in the 4th Qtr
Baker is Jameis Winston 2.0. It’s amazing how quickly we forget his actual performance. Y’all did it with Jameis every offseason for 5 years.
February 24th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Maybe you guys can get Jameis back.
WE HAVE “JAMEIS” NOW!!!!!
our current QB is just shorter with more excuses!!!!
you’re stuck on TD passes….that screams “FAN BOY”….
the “real fans” want WINS!!!!
can baker produce 4th quarter WINS not 4th quarter INTs?
GO BUCS!!!!!
February 24th, 2026 at 3:13 pm
If he learns to slide he’ll be fine. You just cant beat up your body like that if you’re a QB and want to remain a good QB. Maybe he learned from last year. I have a bad feeling not.
February 24th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Kind of a junk statistic. What it demonstrates is that the players who handle the ball most of the time are responsible for more turnovers than people who don’t handle it. These are all QB’s, and at first glance these twelve seem to represent the better half of QB’s in the league. It may be that this statistic is actually counterindicative, and that QB’s with lower percentages are actually less productive and effective than those with the higher percentages. Thus, Baker is not the only one whose style is on a higher risk-reward level than that of lesser players.
February 24th, 2026 at 3:25 pm
Hey Kenton. Guess your mental disabilty check came in. Try and be reasonable with your thoughts about football. It’s year to year and every year Todd is not good.
February 24th, 2026 at 3:29 pm
I swear you guys and all this us vs them bullshlt.
Baker is our QB. He’s excellent at times and not so good @ others.
He’s not as flawless as Gipper and some others would like to think and he’s not the loser the Rod munches of the world would like him to be. Do we really have to have this ongoing bickering and trolling every time Baker is the topic of an article?
February 24th, 2026 at 3:55 pm
Bucs’ defense last season made 13 INTs & 10 Fumble Recoveries, for a total of 23 takeaways. Bucs’ offense had 11 INTs & 5 Fumbles Lost, for a total of 16 giveaways. So we ended up with a PLUS 7 Turnover Differential. That made us SIXTH BEST in the NFL. Of the 13 teams that had a POSITIVE T/O Differential, 10 made the playoffs.
Yes Baker fumbled a LOT in 2025 (11 times), but he recovered 4 AND his teammates recovered another 4. So in reality, Baker was only charged with 3 ‘lost’ fumbles. That means that Baker had 14 of our 16 turnovers in 2025 … 87.5%.
BTW Baker DID IMPROVE in 2025 over 2024. He had 16 INTs & 13 fumbles in 2024, but he recovered 8 fumbles and his teammates recovered another 3. So Baker was charged with only 2 fumbles; added to his 16 INTs that makes 18 giveaways, 2 more than he had in 2025.
February 24th, 2026 at 3:58 pm
Oops, bad math. Baker had 4 fewer giveaways in 2025 than he had in 2024 (not just 2). MAYBE we should be applauding the REST of our offense for not turning the ball over hardly at all last year?
February 24th, 2026 at 4:12 pm
All that stat means is that you don’t run the ball at the goal line.
A more important stat would be points per game, in particular down the stretch. Who cares if you’re scoring 100% of the TDs if you’re only getting 2 a game on offense with the playoffs on the line.
February 24th, 2026 at 4:39 pm
BTW Baker DID IMPROVE in 2025 over 2024.
i know the “stats” say that but did your “eyes” tell you baker improved?…
imo, he has regressed…his footwork was sloppy and he was inaccurate at times…he missed a bunch of “easy” throws in 2025…
his 4th quarter decision making regressed…too many times baker tried to make “a play” instead of making “the play” and protect the ball…
baker has just as much work to do and just as much to prove as he did in 2023
GO BUCS!!!!
February 24th, 2026 at 4:43 pm
Rash. “It’s every year and Todd’s not good”. Rash, he’s won the division 3 of 4 years he’s been the head coach. And lost last season by a tiebreaker. With pretty good points against (the only defensive stat that counts)with a defense that’s got less talent than anyone we play. Because we’ve been so busy paying players from the Brady era. And stocking up on offense. Smart moves, who can predict the majority of your offensive payroll on the bench injured? This is a good team that beat a good team the last game of the season. Whatever happened last year this team hasn’t quit. And Rash. You’re alot smarter than Jason Licht and the Glazer family. And you know how a QB is supposed to do his job better than Mayfield knows how to do it. It must get tiring for you.
February 24th, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Baker is a decent qb not a starter by any means. Our defense doesn’t help in this stat because he’s always trying to play catch up but the guy just isn’t franchise qb quality. He’s a guy that can come off the bench if needed and make a handful of great plays but 4 quarters isn’t his thing he’s shown that his whole career. Make him our back up and look for a new qb we have stars on offense and fix the defense secondary and we will be dominate.
February 24th, 2026 at 5:59 pm
“He’s a guy that can come off the bench if needed and make a handful of great plays but 4 quarters isn’t his thing he’s shown that his whole career.“
This is what made Tony Romo a good QB btw
Used to be a joke about him “why can’t you ask Tony Romo to change a dollar”
Punchline was “he’s never got the 4th quarter”
Ba-dum-tsss
February 24th, 2026 at 6:12 pm
813bucboi … ‘BTW Baker DID IMPROVE in 2025 over 2024’.
Please check the context … the article was about TURNOVERS.
Baker had 18 giveaways in 2024 and 14 giveaways in 2025. Last I looked, 14 is less than 18 so 2025 was the better year in terms of his turnovers.
February 24th, 2026 at 6:26 pm
YOU WILL NEVER WIN THE BIG GAME WITH HIM AS YOUR QB. SO HE IS A BRIDGE QB UNTIL TAMPA COMES ACROSS A TRUE FRANCHISE QB. BAKER IS NOT HIM
February 24th, 2026 at 10:54 pm
Whether it’s Baker or Josh Johnson, the genius of Todd Bowles coaching means the Bucs will perform the same with any player, win some games, probably not as many as they lose. But it’s genius nevertheless. It’s hard to win in the NFL. Injuries, salary cap. Assistant coaches you thought were good but suddenly aren’t. Many things are wrong with the Buccaneers but none of them are the head coach’s fault.