How “Battered” Is Baker Mayfield?
November 1st, 2025
Bucs franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield hasn’t been passing the eye test lately, and Joe’s referring to comments of smart folks outside the Tampa Bay area.
Two-time Super Bowl-winner defensive end Chris Long is a pro-Bucs kind of guy and keeps close tabs on the team in his Green Light podcast. This week, Long rehashed how he thought Mayfield look “battered” and physically off his game against the Lions 12 days ago.
“He looked hurt against Detroit,” Long lamented.
Long, before he got a chance to watch the Saints-Bucs film, asked his co-host Beau Allen, another astutue Bucs observer who played for Tampa Bay in 2018 and 2019, whether Mayfield still looked impaired against New Orleans on Sunday.
Allen said Mayfield looked off but also was let down by a couple of drops.
“He wasn’t making the same, like, MVP-caliber gritty, scramble-to-throw completions that the guys were making a couple of weeks before,” Allen said. “I thought Baker was pretty good; he wasn’t electric.”
Todd Bowles told the Ira Kaufman Podcast this week that Mayfield was “battered” and “beat up” entering the bye.
Certainly, that’s no knock on Mayfield. He’s put his body on the line all season and has paid a price. For the first time in his Bucs career, Mayfield is riding a two-game streak of zero official rushing attempts.
If you think that stat is a coincidence, then, well, Joe is impressed by your willingness to believe that.
November 1st, 2025 at 6:16 pm
No doubt about it Joe. You can add a spike of errant high balls to the list of evidence. His willingness to play hurt and downplay it is the only reason he’s a Buc. He got run from Cleveland for subpar play from a bum shoulder. Hard to fault a guy for gutting it out. It’s a plus quality. But there’s a fine line between gutting it out and hurting your team. It’s a long season and Baker’s style of play makes you wonder how much he’ll have left in the tank in the end. Wouldn’t mind seeing Teddy get some mop up duty or a start or two down the stretch in what could be meaningless games. Something to keep an eye on.
November 1st, 2025 at 6:17 pm
Almost everyone is thinking about all of tne accolades for players with a lot of the season left to play. Your expectations for these players is unrealistic at this time of the season. Wait until the end of the season before your accolades!!!
November 1st, 2025 at 6:50 pm
0 rushing yards vs saints and lions is the give away that hes hurt
November 1st, 2025 at 6:57 pm
The Bucs treat information about injuries as if it was classified. I have no doubt that Baker is dealing with a significant injury. But he’ll want to keep playing as long as his breath shows up on a mirror.
Whatever he’s dealing with, I’m hoping it’s something he can overcome by the playoffs. His mobility has certainly taken a big hit.
November 1st, 2025 at 6:59 pm
How’s Teddys teeth coming along? We might need him.
November 1st, 2025 at 7:19 pm
Unlees Baker os caried off, Teddy wont see a down….No Wally Pip possibility with Bake..
November 1st, 2025 at 7:47 pm
I think he strained an oblique. A tear would be substantial and I don’t think he could play. Different degrees of strains, usually a couple of weeks. Severe a few weeks more to recover. Think with his limping a slight knee sprain. I hope you’re wrong about Bucky, Joe. Why would we want to report on our own guys injuries? For instance if they reported Baker pulled his left oblique and strained his right knee we know what would happen. Those dirty opponents would be aiming at his left ribs and right leg. Better just to keep that info under our hats.
November 1st, 2025 at 7:54 pm
He’s definitely not himself. If the offense is to score 27 or more points baker has got to get healthy even win the injuries we still can have an elite offense as long as baker is healthy and making plays outside the pocket. Hopefully a week is enough to get him back on track
November 1st, 2025 at 9:02 pm
Well we really don’t know how badly Baker is beat up, but like Joe and many of yall say, his passing inaccuracy and lack of quarterback runs makes it pretty obvious that he is trying to protect himself.
If you look back two years ago, the last game of the regular season against the Panthers, Baker was hurt and his play was very similar to what we’ve seen. Hopefully Baker will feel better when the Patriots come to town !!
I really believe the Buccaneers have played much tougher teams so far the the Patriots. Hopefully, if we are well prepared, our strength of schedule will benefit our Buccaneers !!
Go Bucs !! Beat the Patriots !! 7-2 !!
November 1st, 2025 at 9:11 pm
Takes the field every week and puts it all on the line. He’s a natural leader. Not just vocally, on the field and in everything else he does. Bucs fans and the organization have gotten every penny and more from the guy. He’s easy to like especially for an “old school style” fan. When he starts a dust up and gets his guys involved, well that is just the greatest. I am a huge Baker fan. A leader. Old school all the way. Ask yourself where would this team be without him. Certainly not 6-2 I can promise you that. He has his off moments like every player. But if you’re a Bucs fan you know this stuff just as well as I do.
Some hard questions need to be addressed about the way this offensive line has been handled this year. Injuries? Well duh, of course. Dude is not going to be around for long with the way this OL is playing. Who made the decision not having a quality swing tackle on this team? Who made the decision to field that OL Chinese fire drill? I’m a JL fan too but I do not see him as an OL savant like many people do. Building an OL gets a whole lot easier when you are spending 1st and 2nd round picks on OL that do not play LT.
November 1st, 2025 at 9:18 pm
Well geez, maybe all the injuries on the Oline, RB and WR have caused Bake to play with his neck stuck out. Honest to god, I’m surprised he hasn’t been carted off on a stretcher. And the decision about Trask vs. an old retread like Bridgewater? I normally don’t criticize coaches’ decisions, but that one was downright stupid. Trask may have been just be sandlot quality, but he’s younger and a lot more agile than dreadlocks Teddy. Man, my fingers are 🤞 for Feisty Bake.
November 1st, 2025 at 9:40 pm
I think it’s all being exaggerated, He was limping I think after the SF game. So he went in to Detroit somewhat immobile and that’s why he didn’t run. Against the Saints it was wise to be careful but you could see on a couple rollouts that his mobility was ok. He could have run if needed but obviously it wasn’t needed. The defense dominated that game. Going forward he’ll be coming off 2 weeks of rest so I think he’ll be fine if he gets some decent protection.
November 1st, 2025 at 11:01 pm
I think he probably is pretty sore, but yeah, he was moving ok against NO… just found receivers downfield so he got rid of the ball instead of running.
However, something is making him throw high more often than he has in his time at TB. He had that problem at Cleveland one season – mostly due to getting a LOT of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage… so he’s trying to loft the ball over the line. This was evident in both the Lions and NO games… Its also true that the pocket has been smaller those two games… and he tends to not follow thru as much in those cases… hence the high throws.
We need to get the OLine to get the arms down, and hold their ground a bit better..
November 1st, 2025 at 11:01 pm
No coincidence that the offensive line slid into the septic tank at exactly the same time. Fix the OL. Coaches get on it.
November 1st, 2025 at 11:07 pm
Strained oblique. Which is why his passes are high and he hasn’t taken off running. I don’t ever remember in recent years the whole team being battered and bruised. Still a long season and the next three games aren’t going to help.
November 2nd, 2025 at 6:29 am
Baker is a little banged up. I would feel better filling in a couple of games with Heinicke
November 2nd, 2025 at 6:32 am
Taylor plays a similar game as Baker with fewer skills. He is still available too.
November 2nd, 2025 at 6:59 am
Two game streak of 0 Rushing attempts tells you all you need to know-he is hurting.
November 2nd, 2025 at 7:12 am
I think it was soreness in his throwing hand and ribs.
Knowing Teddy is behind him made Baker tough it out, but his body didn’t have time to rest enough to get rid of the soreness. Teddy isn’t a threat at all to the starting role…but he is 100% a threat to our win total.
The bye week is perfectly timed this year.
November 2nd, 2025 at 7:29 am
Need less Cowboy Baker and more Sheriff Baker
November 2nd, 2025 at 7:47 am
he was laser sharp for 18 months plus then all off a sudden skying many of his downfield passes
November 2nd, 2025 at 7:49 am
also his pocket to throw out of has been tiny there last two weeks, they are stacking the line, he does better against zone
November 2nd, 2025 at 8:27 am
Rodney Munchable here. I am tired of you Baker Bois making excuses for your Supreme leaders lousy play. He just flat out sux. No excuses. Trade for Shaduer Sanders. He will ball. Note this is a spoof.
November 2nd, 2025 at 8:46 am
BM6 will be fine! The bye week came at the right time!! Get healthy BM6!!!! A big push to close out the season starts in 7 days!!!! You will make that happen!!!!
November 2nd, 2025 at 10:48 am
Bajer has been hurt the last 2 games. Lets just hope he is getting treatment during the bye. he sacrifices his body quite a bit. His throws as of lately have been either way to hign or way out front.
November 2nd, 2025 at 3:53 pm
This actually spotlights one of the biggest questions I have with Baker:
As he gets older, his ability to scramble to make plays / take hits will diminish. So how long to the Bucs actually want to lock him up for? And how much is a less-mobile Baker actually worth?
November 2nd, 2025 at 8:15 pm
Grizz with his no imagination offense is getting Baker killed