Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield returns on Sunday to the SoFi Stadium field that rekindled his love of football four seasons ago.
Reflecting on his first game with the Los Angeles Rams – a Thursday night contest only two days after being traded by Carolina – still brings back warm memories, as does his brief, five-game stint that became a launching pack to Tampa Bay.
Rewind the tape to Dec. 9, 2022.
Following a cross-country Tuesday flight to LA, Mayfield had time for a short practice with the Rams on Wednesday and then directed a dramatic 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. What made his performance particularly noteworthy was the 98-yard drive he engineered in the final two minutes, capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds to play – his second TD pass of the game.
"(It was) little things, thinking about that game of (offensive lineman) Brian Allen turning around and telling me what the cadence is on a clock situation,” Mayfield said Wednesday in his weekly media session at One Buc Place. “Funny stuff like that, (where) you look back and cherish the moments that you didn't expect to come up … a two-minute offense, but some fun memories."
At the time, the 98-yard drive was the longest resulting in a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of play in 45 NFL seasons. But what made it especially sweet was that it came on the heels of a miserable, 1-5 stint with the Panthers in 2022. And that followed the frustrating situation he had found himself with in Cleveland, when the Browns traded in the offseason for embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson. That prompted the player Cleveland had selected No. 1 overall in 2018 to request a trade.
But playing for the Rams, subbing for injured starter Matthew Stafford, Mayfield discovered his passion for the game again. Though he wound up going 2-3 in his five games of relief duty, he nearly matched the total number of wins– three – the defending Super Bowl champions had notched before he arrived. He impressed head coach Sean McVay and his Rams teammates with his tough, smart play – and ultimately caught the eyes of the Bucs.
"There is no way for me to sugarcoat it. … It was pivotal in my career and in my journey,” he said. “I've told you guys that it helped me find the fun in football again. [(It is also) getting to learn from those guys. Obviously, it looks a lot different now that Raheem Morris is gone, Zac Robinson (is gone), Liam (Coen is gone), but Sean’s been there the whole time.
“They helped me out and helped me discover what offense I really want to play in, and the responsibility that comes with that in the accountability at the line of scrimmage – and to check and get to the right plays. It was instrumental in my career, something I am forever grateful for, and it will be fun to go back and see some familiar faces."
One such face will be that of his counterpart, Rams quarterback Stafford, now in his 17th season after coming into the league as Detroit’s No. 1 pick in 2009. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Lions, where he played through injuries, became one of the league’s top quarterbacks and established many franchise records on a team that often struggled. But after being traded to the Rams in 2021, Stafford wasted no time reaching his full potential, leading the team to the Super Bowl LVI title with a 23-20 win over Cincinnati in his first season.
A spinal cord contusion suffered in the 11th week of the 2022 campaign cut his season short at 3-6, but he has followed that by leading the Rams to records of 9-6 in 2023, 10-6 in 2024 and a blazing 8-2 start this year.
“He can do everything,” Mayfield said. “He's always been able to make every throw. As long as he was in Detroit, (he) didn't get a whole lot of credit for how really good he was and you're seeing that now.
“To me, he's always been a top three-or-five quarterback in the league, and one of the best – if not the best – pure passer every in the history of the NFL. The way it comes off of his hand, the way he can change his arm angles. The no-look passes really started with him. He can do it all. He makes it really tough on your defense. You (have) to be sound with your eyes, but he also knows how to move you and move around the pocket too."
Though Stafford was out of action during Mayfield’s time with the Rams, it was still an invaluable learning experience.
"I think I gained an even (greater) level of respect for him about communication, about how he wanted certain routes (and) certain schemes to be done,” Mayfield said. “When you're at that level … in your career, you kind of run the ship. Had a lot of respect for him before but seeing it in person on how detailed he really was, and exactly what he was going to try and check to, that was big."
Mayfield's reunion on Sunday with Stafford comes with the stakes higher than ever for the Bucs. They face the Rams after two straight tough losses to AFC East Division powerhouses – 28-23 to New England two weeks ago and 44-23 to Buffalo on Sunday. After a promising 4-1 start this season, the injury-depleted team remains in first place in the NFC South at 6-4, but now are holding off the Carolina Panthers at 6-5.
Stafford leading the Rams to victory over Seattle last week. @ Gary A. VasquezDespite the disappointment of losing to the Bills in a see-saw contest, Mayfield was far happier with the offense’s performance than he was in the loss to the Patriots. Following the game, he gave a fiery talk to the team about needing to play with more accountability and a greater “killer instinct.” Against the Bills, the offensive line gelled and helped pave the way for the rushing attack to rack up 213 yards – highlighted by Sean Tucker’s two touchdown, 106-yard effort.
“"I think there was a difference mentally,” he said. “Anytime you run the ball like that, guys are locked in -- they're doing their job. That takes everybody, not just the offensive line. Obviously, they played extremely well to run the ball over 200 yards, but I think the message was well-received. We just didn't make enough plays when we needed to."
“"I think, without a doubt, the fight, the passion, the energy was there,” he added. I think mentally, everybody was locked in. … That's the mentality we have to come out with – starting fast and being physical, especially on offense.”
A win would make a statement by the Bucs after the past two games – and, in the process, create some new fond Mayfield memories in LA.
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Here are highlights of Bucs head coach Todd Bowles media briefing Wednesday:
(On if there’s an update on the statuses of WR Chris Godwin Jr. or RB Bucky Irving)
“We’re going to up their reps this week and ramp them up and kind of see where they are. We’ll get a good idea tomorrow and Friday on exactly where they are.”
(On OLB Chris Braswell Jr. dealing with an apparent ankle injury)
“He’s sore today. We’ll see tomorrow. Hopefully he doesn’t have any setbacks. If he does, it’s going to be a little bit concerning.”
(On if OLB Markees Watts could potentially return to action this week)
“He’s supposed to be full speed this week. We’ll see how his hand is when we practice tomorrow and run around – [we’ll] see how he uses it.”
(On what his emotions were after the defensive performance in Buffalo)
“I’m embarrassed every time we lose, but from a defensive standpoint, we didn’t play well. We had a stinker. It happens – this league humbles you. Every now and then, you’re going to have something that messes up. As coaches, we can definitely do a better job. As players, we can do a better job. We didn’t play well; we didn’t coach well. That’s really all it sums up to.”
(On CB Jamel Dean’s injury status and how the cornerback rotation might look if Dean were to miss time)
“We’ll play a couple guys there. [Jacob] Parrish is definitely a consideration, [Benjamin] Morrison has been practicing as well, and we’ll practice them both and kind of go from there. Dean is a little nicked up right now – if he doesn’t make any progress, there’s a good chance he might not be in there.”
(On holding another walkthrough on Wednesday due to injuries, and whether that affects what he wants to accomplish as a team)
“We’ve done the same thing the last two years. Unfortunately, this Wednesday, a lot of people have taken ill – there is a bug going around the building. We had about five coaches and about 15 players down, so that helped aid in this walkthrough. There’s nothing we can really do about that today.”
(On if the Los Angeles Rams are in conversation for the best team in the league)
“They definitely are [in the conversation]. They’re playing great ball right now. They don’t beat themselves. They get very few penalties, they take care of the football, and they play very hard on defense. So, they’re definitely in the top two.”
(On how to fix the special teams coverage issues)
“We’re trying different guys in different spots. We’ll move some guys around, and if worse comes to worst, we’ll try to kick it out. But it’s got to get better – we’ll work on that this week, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”
(On whether practice squad players could contribute on special teams)
“Everybody is available right now.”
(On S Tykee Smith’s growth in year two)
“He’s a confident player. We’re confident in him. He understands the game. He’s just one of those guys who knows how to play. I wish, coaching-wise, we could take credit but he knew how to play when he came in the door. He understands the game very well. He’s a heck of a competitor and he’s always going to show up on Sunday.”
(On if CB Jacob Parrish has showed enough as an outside cornerback to inspire confidence in the coaches)
“Oh, absolutely. We knew that coming in the door.”
And more from Mayfield:
(On how it felt to have the opportunity to run and scramble against the Buffalo Bills)
"Obviously, health, first and foremost. The ability to do that and take advantage of some third down scrambles or just early downs. When the passes aren't there, be able to take off in the rush lanes and go from there. [It is] something I just tried to start utilizing more and more last year and continuing that this year."
(On struggling on two-point conversions and down-and-two to go plays against the Bills)
"I'd say the two-point play -- the first one at least -- I need to get to a different play; that one falls on me. That's not scheme or the players or anything besides me, [I] need to get to a better play. It just comes down to -- in that down and distance -- who wants it more, and when it comes to the run game, if it's dialed up, we need to execute it."
(On RB Sean Tucker's performance against the Bills and what that performance does to an offense)
"He has the extra gear, so any sort of those plays that can extend into being explosive runs or passes, it's big for us. Obviously, continue to lean on him, continuing to trust him and grow whatever package we have for him and go from there. He has that big play potential that you're trying to take advantage of."
(On recently announcing the gender of his soon-to-be child)
"We did just a little, private reveal (with) just the family. Obviously fun, everybody is like, 'Are you going to let him play football?' Do whatever you want. My parents didn't want me to play football, but at a certain point, when your kid wants to do something, you just encourage them to do whatever they want to do. [I'm] trying to handle that the best way, but I am going to have a little [troublemaker] on my hands... That's karma."