Baker Mayfield shoulders blame for crushing 4th quarter fumble vs. Commanders
01/13/2025 08:54 AM
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended their 2024 season in front of their home crowd. Tampa Bay suffered a brutal Wild Card loss on Sunday, falling 23-20 against Washington in an exciting back-and-forth matchup. Buccaneers fans and players are probably still thinking about what could have been in this close game. If one or two key mistakes did not happen, the Buccaneers could have won.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield made a crucial mistake during the fourth quarter that ended up costing his team the game. Mayfield fumbled what was supposed to be a jet sweep to Jalen McMillan, leading to a turnover. That set up the Commanders in great field position for a score that would end up being necessary to win in regulation.
Mayfield took full responsibility for his mistake after the game.
“Yeah, I mean it comes back to me just timing it up correctly,” Mayfield told reporters during his postgame press conference via River Wells of BucsGameday. “First one all year that happened on so obviously the timing is not great. Getting backed up defensively, just done a hell of a job getting us the ball. Another fourth down stop. Yeah, unfortunately put the holes on me.”
It sounds like this game will stick to Mayfield’s ribs for a long time. He will not easily forget this game.
"It’s disappointing because I believe in this team because we have the talent and the coaching staff to go far," Mayfield said via the Associated Press. "I did some dumb stuff and it’ll wear on me for a while."
Baker Mayfield drops ‘disappointed’ reaction to Buccaneers’ playoff exit
Baker Mayfield did not hold back when talking with reporters after this brutal loss.
Mayfield also dropped a soundbite where he expressed his disappointment in the team’s struggles. And the abrupt end to their season.
"It's disappointing because I really believed in this team. I still do," Mayfield told reporters, as shared by Greg Auman on X, formerly Twitter. "Obviously, every year is different. The roster is going to look different. That's the sad part about it. This group had the makeup to go all the way. Unfortunately, we didn't bring our best stuff tonight and Washington did."
Tampa Bay entered the game as NFC South champions for the fourth consecutive season. Their four-year streak of division titles is tied with the Saints (2017-20) for the longest streak in division history. The NFC South was formed in 2002 for reference.
Unfortunately, mistakes like Mayfield’s botched handoff to McMillan cost Tampa Bay the game and their season.
It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers approach the upcoming offseason.
Do they try to make small tweaks to try and replicate this season’s success? Or will Tampa make some bigger changes to try and shake things up?
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