Comparing Baker Mayfield Stats Before And After The Bye
April 14th, 2026
Comparing numbers.
Yes, we know Baker Mayfield was hurt last year and gutted his way through multiple injuries.
He just didn’t look right after the bye. A big tip was he wasn’t running as much. You could tell something was off, but you couldn’t really from his stats.
Former handicapper turned stathead Warren Sharp broke down Mayfield’s numbers on his website Sharp Football Analysis from the first half of the season to the second half. And there doesn’t seem to be anything troubling or sticking out for Joe with his second-half numbers.
Before the Week 9 bye, Mayfield had completed 63.9% of his passes for 7.1 yards per pass attempt with 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Over the final nine games, he then completed 62.4% of his passes for 6.5 Y/A with 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
His depth of throw went from 8.6 yards downfield to 7.6 air yards per throw over that span, while his inaccurate throw rate rose 1.8% in those weeks.
The only number that gets Joe’s attention is the picks. Is that because Mike Evans was hurt? Because Chris Godwin was banged up? Emeka Egbuka (likely) hit the dreaded rookie wall?
Whatever the reason, if the Bucs hope to make the playoffs this fall, Mayfield and the offense simply cannot collapse like it did after the bye last season.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:06 am
Baker is a warrior but he is just one of those guys that gets banged up – many QBs missed time last year but Baker did not – hopefully his luck holds out – I am guessing that he will keep fighting until it just gets so bad he has to go on IR
April 14th, 2026 at 7:13 am
I don’t recall seeing Baker ever slide – Brady was slider – Baker just likes to play football and he is an excitable boy – Evans had hamstring issues but he stayed relatively healthy like Brady – Godwin is more like Baker in that he will take the hits – I respect that but it makes for a lot of injuries
April 14th, 2026 at 7:16 am
I remember an interception with 0 on the clock before halftime in the Rams game. On a 65 yard Hail Mary. With a wounded lead shoulder. Same game another pick that Otten bobbled into infamy. I remember seeing Bredeson going down and knowing what that meant. I remember Baker throwing top 10 in the league in yardage. I remember Baker throwing for the 7th most TDs in the league. I remember a running game where we never had a back even approach 100 yards- the entire season. I remember head scratching conservative play calling from a rookie play caller. And I remember the worst red zone defense in the NFL. So way to go Joe. You’ve pinpointed the reason the Bucs failed in 2025. I guess my wife is right. My memory is starting to fade.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:21 am
‘Born Again’ Baker is a Franchise QB. We are Lucky to have him. He is the least of worries on this team. Go Bucs!
April 14th, 2026 at 7:23 am
It would be cool if they would actually admit to the injuries. As far as I can tell, the Bucs and Mayfield have said very little about them. Say what happened and put it to bed.
It was most likely a rib injury. Mayfield missed some open guys noticeably and made up for it, percentage-wise, with the shorter throws.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:28 am
Give it a few . Any minute the usual Baker haters will chime in.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:38 am
9 picks in the 2nd half of the season is alarming, especially in games that you absolutely need.
Baker is a QB you win with not a QB you win because, of. He needs help to win, in 2025 with the receivers and o line injuries the situation wasn’t good so neither was he for the most part
I like Baker but you can’t pay him like a franchise QB because, then you can’t give him the players he needs to be successful
April 14th, 2026 at 7:42 am
“Any minute the usual Baker haters will chime in.”
Anybody that’s willing to point out when he stinks is a “Baker hater”, sawft
April 14th, 2026 at 7:43 am
The offense certainly looked out of sync the 2nd half of the season and I don’t think you can expect route and pass perfection from a wide receiver and qb when they don’t practice together for weeks (walk-thrus don’t count).
And with all of the gambling on the NFL, I’m a bit befuddled that the NFL doesn’t require (or mandate) accurate injury reports.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:51 am
“I remember a running game where we never had a back even approach 100 yards- the entire season”
Sean Tucker ran for 106 and 2 scores on just 19 carries in Buffalo.
“And I remember the worst red zone defense in the NFL.”
Offensively we finished
-24th in RZ scoring percentage (54%)
-22nd in RZ attempt per game (2.9)
-23rd in RZ scores per game(1.6)
She ain’t lying.
April 14th, 2026 at 7:53 am
The only number that gets Joe’s attention is the picks.
BINGO!!!!!
and the lack of WINS!!!!!
Funny how you left out the fumbles lol…
I REMEMBER, your best ability is your availability!!!! EXCEPT when it comes to baker lol…..his “injuries” are excuses or cop outs….
I REMEMBER, CK94 never getting the “he’s a warrior” excuse every time he’s banged up lol….
I REMEMBER folks saying baker is a leader with moxy and juice, BUT I REMEMBER the bucs had to bring in JPP for his leadership and juice!!!!
if Bucky had 9 fumbles the 2nd half of the season folks wouldnt want him on the roster!!!!….
GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 7:54 am
Let’s see how Baker looks when healthy with his full offensive line. My guess?
Fantastic.
April 14th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Baker is, who Baker is. You are not going to change the spots on that leopard. He will sacrifice his body for an extra 6 inches. Some call it moxie, some call it reckless. You better have a good backup and not be afraid to use him. When I think of the collapse of 2025, I focus on defense and special teams. The special teams got better, but you could argue the defense is the same or worse. At least we know we should spend our draft capital.
April 14th, 2026 at 8:32 am
Really? You should focus on the lack of guards too…
April 14th, 2026 at 8:35 am
Any stats available on “time to throw” (before defense already running free on our side across line of scrimmage)?
April 14th, 2026 at 8:39 am
I remember seeing him force it over and over because nobody was getting open, pay that $15 a month to NFL and YOU could see it too. Other teams seemed to know our routes
April 14th, 2026 at 9:03 am
“Any stats available on “time to throw” (before defense already running free on our side across line of scrimmage)?”
Time to throw is skewed by play design, what you’re thinking of is pressure rate relative to throws from the pocket.
The trick with “time to throw” is that a smoke screen to Cade Otton or a quick dumpoff to either RB would make you believe it’s duress, when it’s really play design getting the ball out of Bakers’ hands. 3 OCs later, each and every one has emphasized that coming to this offense.
League average for frequency of pressure per drop back was 21.9%
The most pressured QB in the league last year was Justin Herbert, facing pressure on 29.8% drop backs.
Baker was pressured on 14.8% of his dropbacks, even with backups at G, C, & OT.
Herbert was hurried 55 times compared to Mayfields’ 36.
Herbert was hit 74 times in the pocket compared to Mayfields’ 20 hits.
Herbert was pressured 183 times compared to Mayfields’ 92 times.
Herbert also ran the ball 83(498yds & 2 TDs) times compared to Mayfields’ 55(382 yards & 1 TD) rush attempts
Herbert also threw 2 more INTs than Baker.
Hebert threw 6 INTs in his last 9 games
Baker threw 9 INTs in his last 9 games
Herbert completed 66% of his passes in his last 9 games.
Baker completed 63% of his passes the last 9 games.
Let’s drop that cop out.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:03 am
Tampa2ATL Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 8:35 am
Any stats available on “time to throw”
The average time to throw for an NFL quarterback is typically between 2.7 and 2.9 seconds.
in 2025, baker’s average time to throw was 2.85 seconds…not bad at all despite the injuries…
BUT, due to baker being ONLY 6’0 he has to hold the ball longer because he cant see over our OL…which results in inaccurate throws and batted passes…
with that said, no one is talking about baker sloppy footwork!!!!!!….
Dave fixed that issue in 2023….His sloppy footwork started to rear its head in 2024 under Liam, resulting in him leading the NFL in INTs and Fumbles….things got worse in 2025…and it wasnt ALL injuries….
baker mechanics faded…which effected his production more than the so called injures
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 9:03 am
Joe … ‘He (Baker) just didn’t look right after the bye. A big tip was he wasn’t running as much. You could just tell something was off. But you couldn’t really tell from his stats’.
Excellent article Joe. Go back to BEFORE the BYE though & it becomes obvious (in the stats) that something very significant did change for Baker.
Look at just the first 6 games (and they were against some excellent defenses). Baker ran 5 times against the Falcons, 3 runs against the Texans, 4 runs against the Jets, 2 runs against the Eagles, 5 runs against the Seahawks & 3 runs against the 49ers. That’s 22 runs in the first 6 games, and he took a beating. And significantly, the Bucs only made TWO turnovers in those 6 games, and they BOTH occurred in our only loss, to the Eagles.
In the next 3 games, Baker then ran 0 times against the Lions, 0 runs against the Saints, and 0 runs against the Patriots (1st game AFTER the BYE). He was hurting BIG-TIME; it started BEFORE the BYE, but the BYE week off wasn’t enough to get him healed up. He gutted it out, but we lost 2 of those 3 games, beating the Saints 23-3 primarily because our defense forced 4 takeaways.
Baker started running again after that Patriots game, but he never really looked the same. He’s gutsy as all git-out, but that doesn’t always equate to winning. In those first 6 games, Bucs were 5-1 and made ZERO giveaways in those 5 victories, with 2 giveaways in our only loss there. But in the remaining 11 games, Bucs were 3-8 and made 14 giveaways. Of significance, Bucs only made TWO giveaways total in those 3 wins.
So in our 8 victories last seaosn, the Bucs only made TWO giveaways, and our defense made FIFTEEN takeaways. In our 9 losses, Bucs made FOURTEEN giveaways, and our defense made EIGHT takeaways. Strange as it may sound, those inverted ratios are very reminescent of 2019 when Jameis would complete 1 pass to our receivers, then 1 pass to opponents’ defenders.
Bucs’ offense (and S/Ts) on the season committed 16 turnovers. Bucs’ defense on the season generated 23 takeaways, for a PLUS-7 Turnover Differential. Bucs & the Falcons were the only teams in the NFL to have a positive Turnover Differential but losing records.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Warren Brooks Lynch Says: Let’s drop that cop out.
PREACH!!!!!!
and Herbert was missing both Tackles most of the season, just like baker missed the guards!!!!!…and somehow still made the playoffs lol….not to mention Herbert has no running game!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 9:15 am
“Bucs’ offense (and S/Ts) on the season committed 16 turnovers. Bucs’ defense on the season generated 23 takeaways, for a PLUS-7 Turnover Differential. Bucs & the Falcons were the only teams in the NFL to have a positive Turnover Differential but losing records.”
We scored 46 points as team total off these 23 takeaways.
Take our 2 defensive TDs out of the equation.
We scored 32 points, off 21 takeaways offensively. 1.5 points per turnover, meaning not only were we NOT scoring TDs, we were barely turning them into 3 points if not punting the ball back with bupkis to show for it.
As Charles Barkley would say, that’s turrible.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:17 am
Last year it was an ugly product and even at their best serious fans of the game didn’t see anything but a Wild Card round (Division “winner”) exit from this Bucs team.
I think the Joes and many fans are underestimating how much needs to improve to be a dominant, contender level team again. Not a 9-8 NFC South winner, but a real playoff team that is one of the final 4 teams playing.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:19 am
Good thing Todd had so little to do being HC and DC he could spend time helping out Grizz. Brilliant plan by FO.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Bucs’ offense (and S/Ts) on the season committed 16 turnovers. Bucs’ defense on the season generated 23 takeaways, for a PLUS-7 Turnover Differential. Bucs & the Falcons were the only teams in the NFL to have a positive Turnover Differential but losing records.
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so the defense wasnt as bad as folks want to believe and special teams & turnovers are what wrecked the season….not injuries…got it!!!..lol…
is it me, or arent ALL professional football player “suppose” to be tough and “gut it out”….its to be expected….similar to playing hurt….players are expected to play hurt…its a physical game lol….
being hurt and being injured are 2 separate things….baker was HURT not injured…HUGE difference
GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 9:28 am
“I think the Joes and many fans are underestimating how much needs to improve to be a dominant, contender level team again.”
I think our biggest hurdle as a team is consistency, in all 3 phases.
I think we have plenty of talent, but what’s been our achilles heel has been finding a way to play well given our circumstances or opponent, and finding ways to sustain that high level of play. Outside of the Seattle game, and maybe that back half of the SF game. We weren’t a team that was consistently putting it together week in and week out. Even then, I think something like 12 of 17 games were ONLY one score games.
Also Joe, you got Suh on Playoff Lenny & Jarvis Landrys’ podcast, might want to check it out
April 14th, 2026 at 9:35 am
Bottom line, the folks that KNOW, Glazers and coaches love BM6 to the point it doesn’t bother them one bit cutting him a large check in order to keep him right here. Lol
April 14th, 2026 at 9:36 am
This fanbase was giving Baker Mayfield too much credit in 2024
The Bucs run game was the reason for their successful offense in 2024
They are trying to blame the failures of this offense in 2025 on many things
They blame injuries, they blame rookies wall, they blame coaching
The one and only reason for our lack of offense, was a lack of a run game
Baker tried to compensate by running the ball himself
That only work for so long, before the pain take effect
Run the ball successfully, and your chances of winning increases
A
April 14th, 2026 at 9:37 am
“Bottom line, the folks that KNOW, Glazers and coaches love BM6 to the point it doesn’t bother them one bit cutting him a large check in order to keep him right here. Lol”
Pipe down zealot
April 14th, 2026 at 9:41 am
Well 813, if Herbert was missing 2 tackles you solved it apparently. I guess that makes everything even. What a mind!!
April 14th, 2026 at 9:44 am
I remember that pick that lost us the falcons game
April 14th, 2026 at 9:49 am
The very lowest point of the season came against the Saints
The Bucs had 1st and goal from the one
The Saints jumped offside, so they moved the chains to the half yard line
The Bucs now have 1st and goal from the half yard line (Inches)
They ran the ball 4 straight times against a tired Saints defense
And the held them to a few measly inches
The Bucs defense won that game 23-3
But it was a reality check of how bad this offense was
April 14th, 2026 at 9:51 am
More Suh & Lenny talking about the 2020 season.
You gotta check this out Joe.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:52 am
WBL … ‘I think we have plenty of talent, but what’s been our achilles heel has been finding a way to play well given our circumstances or opponent, and finding ways to sustain that high level of play.’
Agree totally with what you’re saying about playing with CONSISTENCY, but can’t agree on the ‘have plenty of talent’ part. Bucs have made some huge personnel changes since 2025 ended, and I’m convinced the reason for that is because they realized our talent level was pretty much at a break-even point (good enough to get us to 8-9 or 9-8 records, but not any better than that).
Bucs have had a relatively competitive STARTING ROSTER, but once guys start getting injured, we’ve found out that we have inadequate DEPTH. There were weeks last season when we were hurting so bad as I recall that we couldn’t even run full-scale practices. That’s horrific IMO; an industry with billions of dollars at its’ fingertips, and all they could manage to do was walk-through what they were gonna do in the next Sunday’s game. I’m impressed … unfavorably.
April 14th, 2026 at 9:58 am
Bottom line, the folks that KNOW, know you couldn’t spell “cat” if we gave you the C and the T!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 10:00 am
“Bucs have had a relatively competitive STARTING ROSTER, but once guys start getting injured, we’ve found out that we have inadequate DEPTH”
That’s what some have been complaining about us doing this offseason, going out and getting proven depth is acknowledgment of that need.
Also why I added the “given our circumstances” because even with the injuries from the outset, guys will give one player the credit for those games and not talk about how we started the season with depth on the OL and had some type of replacement player playing in every single game. Seattle included, Nelly in New Orelans, again not every single depth piece is worthless but still.
A high level of play will make you forget depth guys are depth guys
April 14th, 2026 at 10:01 am
**Collective high level of play
April 14th, 2026 at 10:10 am
WBL
i agree regarding the consistency and talent…
i’ll throw in execution too!!!…we dont consistently execute the simple plays…
no way folks can say BUCS dont have enough talent….we beat seattle, san fran, texans and we were missing players in all of those wins…
better execution and a true identity will do wonders for this team
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 10:47 am
So this seems to imply that not much really changed that much statistically with the exception of the increased picks, therefore Baker simply regressed or was simply careless with the ball or just flat out choked. He simply tried to play the way he was playing before but not much was right around him and other teams took advantage. I think a combination of him being significantly impacted health wise off and on, other injuries all around the offense, teams wising up to the grizzard and most importantly, horrible defense and special teams that provided little help. Happy Birthday Baker!
April 14th, 2026 at 10:47 am
Picks happen. Football is weird sometimes.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:09 am
What’s very interesting to me is Joe thinks Baker is a shell of himself if he can’t run. Its almost as if Baker is useless if can use his legs. That shows hes not that good from the pocket…consistently. His mechanics are off which is why you never get consistent good play from him, its always a rollercoaster ride.
The Baker we saw after the bye is the same Baker we’ll see this season because thats who he is. When he starts the season playing the exact same way, what will be the excuses then?
Baker is the most important player on the team because he touches the ball every offensive play. When you look at his decision making and execution in the 4th qtr of games down the stretch and in the playoffs, what makes you think he lead this team to a 🏆?
April 14th, 2026 at 11:10 am
Mayfield is 28-26 as a starter in Tampa, including playoffs.
That is not stellar. He’s basically a Bowles version of a QB.
He’ll get you to the playoffs, about half the time, but doesn’t win many when it counts.
That is not clutch and not worthy of top QB money.
Hard pass.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:20 am
813bucboi Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Warren Brooks Lynch Says: Let’s drop that cop out.
PREACH!!!!!!
and Herbert was missing both Tackles most of the season, just like baker missed the guards!!!!!…and somehow still made the playoffs lol….not to mention Herbert has no running game!!!
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Herbert and Mayfield had virtually identical stats in 2025 except Herbert had MORE INT’s than Baker 13 vs 11. Not sure what is your point?
April 14th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Bee Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 11:09 am
What’s very interesting to me is Joe thinks Baker is a shell of himself if he can’t run. Its almost as if Baker is useless if can use his legs. That shows hes not that good from the pocket…consistently. His mechanics are off which is why you never get consistent good play from him, its always a rollercoaster ride.
The Baker we saw after the bye is the same Baker we’ll see this season because thats who he is. When he starts the season playing the exact same way, what will be the excuses then?
Baker is the most important player on the team because he touches the ball every offensive play. When you look at his decision making and execution in the 4th qtr of games down the stretch and in the playoffs, what makes you think he lead this team to a 🏆?
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PREACH!!!!!!!
when was baker ever a lamar jackson type QB lol…baker is a 4.8 QB lol…
GREAT POST!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 11:22 am
“I think a combination of him being significantly impacted health wise off and on, other injuries all around the offense, teams wising up to the grizzard and most importantly, horrible defense and special teams that provided little help”
“So in our 8 victories last seaosn, the Bucs only made TWO giveaways, and our defense made FIFTEEN takeaways. In our 9 losses, Bucs made FOURTEEN giveaways, and our defense made EIGHT takeaways. Strange as it may sound, those inverted ratios are very reminescent of 2019 when Jameis would complete 1 pass to our receivers, then 1 pass to opponents’ defenders.
Bucs’ offense (and S/Ts) on the season committed 16 turnovers. Bucs’ defense on the season generated 23 takeaways, for a PLUS-7 Turnover Differential. Bucs & the Falcons were the only teams in the NFL to have a positive Turnover Differential but losing records.”
+7 Turnover differential is plenty of help, fact is the offense couldn’t help itself if we like honesty over spinning not so tall, tall tales.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:29 am
Coaching. Matters. Mayfield knows he’s got to win games by himself and puts too much mental pressure on himself. As long as he or anyone plays for Him, he’s gonna suck.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:32 am
Herbert and Mayfield had virtually identical stats in 2025 except Herbert had MORE INT’s than Baker 13 vs 11. Not sure what is your point?
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YOU JUST PROVED MY POINT!!!!…
its all about WINS!!!!!!..stats are for loser!!!…
Justin dealt win injuries and as you pointed out INTs(whos he throwing to?) and still made the PLAYOFFS…
when the chargers needed Justin the most for their playoff push Justin DELIVERED & guided them to a 3-1 record in DEC…..
baker went 0-4 in the month of DEC…he choked!!!
again cherry pick stats all you want but the only stat that matters is WINS!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 11:32 am
So Bee, we saw the mvp candidate version of Baker in the first half, and then we saw a less than stellar version of Baker after the bye, therefore the Baker we will see in 2026 is the post bye version, because that’s who he is. Really sound logic Bee! Keep preaching to the bucboi, he appreciates that kind of logic.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:34 am
Bee Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 11:09 am
Baker is the most important player on the team because he touches the ball every offensive play.
±+++++++++++
So does the center. So by this logic, we need to replace our center!
April 14th, 2026 at 11:35 am
For me it’s all about consistency. Baker cant have lapses where you misses a bunch of easy throws or gets happy feet in the pocket after 1 sack. He cant get overhyped before primetime games and come out firing the ball high.
Big year for Baker. I hope he bakes..but still skeptical that he can be consistent enough.
Does that make me a “Baker hater” or just a realist?
April 14th, 2026 at 11:36 am
LynchMob50 Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 11:10 am
Mayfield is 28-26 as a starter in Tampa, including playoffs.
That is not stellar. He’s basically a Bowles version of a QB. That is not clutch and not worthy of top QB money.
Hard pass.
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PREACH!!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 11:50 am
If it’s a matter of CONSISTENCY, how do you know what version of Baker we’ll get to start the new season Bee? Your explanation for his poor second half is simply that’s who he is and you’re sure that’s who he’ll be this year coming out of the gate. What’s your bs explanation for how he managed to play the way he did in the first half of 2025 and in 2023 and 2024 for that matter.
April 14th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Oscar Says:
April 14th, 2026 at 11:32 am
So Bee, we saw the mvp candidate version of Baker in the first half
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let me PREACH to you lol
MVP voting occurs immediately AFTER the regular season ends and BEFORE the playoffs begin, though results are revealed just before the Super Bowl.
Baker was out of the “MVP” race by MID NOV lol….season doesnt end until JAN lol…you have to be playing your best ball in the months of NOV & DEC to be a serious candidate…baker was 1-7 during that stretch….yeah, real MVP candidate lol
funny how you clowns say Baker was MVP mid season but never mention todd being Coach of the Year mid season….straight from the horses mouth: Bruce
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 14th, 2026 at 11:58 am
“Does that make me a “Baker hater” or just a realist?”
Makes you a concerned Bucs fan that doesn’t bury his head in the sand.
Don’t let the male cheerleaders get to you.
April 14th, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Baker was not Mahomes or Allen level in 2023 or 2024 or the first half of 2025, but he was pretty damn good. So how can anyone say with so much certainty that the Baker we saw after the bye in 2025 is the real Baker. A 2 and 1/2 year sample size vs a 1/2 year sample size and you point to the latter to define who Baker is as a quarterback. That logic exposes the fact that you are just plainly biased Bee.