He is the fuel that powers the engine, the compass that points the way, the heart that provides the steady beat for the Tampa Bay Bucs offense. If you’ve seen quarterback Baker Mayfield at work, you know he is all of that wrapped in an exuberant, go-for-broke style of leadership that the team has fully embraced.

In short, Mayfield’s infectious way of play is baked into the Bucs’ success.

And it’s the primary  reason Tampa Bay is off to a 3-0 start this season for the first time since 2005, even with a spate of injuries, forcing all manner of realignments with the offensive line, and now sidelining All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans for three to four weeks with a strained hamstring,

Throughout, Mayfield has kept his poise under pressure, moving the offense consistently with his precision passing, his Bat-sense of when to take off running with abandon to pick up valuable yardage, the one-two ground game punch of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, and the belief that he has instilled in the offense that it can dig its way out of any difficulty – from a guy who has done that plenty on his own.

“I love Baker, he is a brother of mine,” said offensive lineman Michael Jordan, who played with Mayfield during the quarterback’s brief stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. “You see all the adversity he has fought to get to where he is today, it is amazing. (It’s a) credit to his work ethic and his unwavering spirit."

The latter quality was clearly on display when the Bucs came from behind in the final minute of play in their first two games on the road in Atlanta and Houston, and again this past Sunday against an upset-minded Jets team that nearly pulled off a late comeback of their own.

So was Mayfield’s grit and physicality. 

In Week 2’s Monday night contest in Houston, he took several hard hits on scrambles. In the broadcast booth, Troy Aikman took note, saying, “He’s got a lineman’s mentality at quarterback.” After one tackle, he got up from the turf appearing to have injured his ankle, prompting announcer Joe Buck to exclaim, “Mayfield's hurt!” But the next thing you knew, he was shaking it off and back in gear. 

Against the Jets, the inside of Mayfield’s throwing arm hit full force with an outstretched arm of Jets linebacker Quincy Williams while releasing the ball – leaving him shaking his hand, clearly in pain. But true to form, Mayfield shook it off and went on to direct the win.

“Listen to me, he’s a physical player and tough guy.,” said wide receiver Sterling Shepard, a teammate of Mayfield’s at the University of Oklahoma. “He’s one of the toughest guys on offense and he makes you want to play the same way.”

Now comes arguably the most difficult challenge yet – a 1 p.m. Sunday showdown at Raymond James Stadium against the unbeaten defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. 

It will be no easy task to derail Team Tush-Push, with quarterback Jalen Hurts and his high-powered offense featuring tailback Saquon Barkley and wideout A.J. Brown, and an aggressive, opportunistic defense – both of which combined to shake off a poor start against the Los Angeles Rams, erase a 26-7 deficit and win 33-26.

For the Bucs to repeat their winning ways against Philly in 2024 – 33-16 last September – they’ll need fill the huge gap without Evans with more high-level receiving play from rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka, and ongoing solid support from Shepard and tight end Cade Otten (with an outside chance that star wide receiver Chris Godwin may finally see some action after his severe ankle injury last season).

They’ll need to establish their tag-team running game with Irving and White to take some pressure off of Mayfield.

They’ll need to seriously cut down on the penalties that plagued them against the Jets, no doubt an offshoot of their shuffled lineup due to injuries. 

And they’ll need to keep the pressure on Hurts defensively and hope to keep the turnovers coming, after getting their first two of the season last week.

But as much as anything, they’ll need Mayfield to be Mayfield – a quarterback who burst into the NFL as a Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Oklahoma and a first-round pick by Cleveland in 2018. 

Despite numerous highlights with the Browns, including setting the NFL rookie passing record for touchdowns (27) and leading Cleveland to its first playoff  appearance since 1994, his time with the Browns soured when the team turned to Deshaun Watson. Mayfield was traded to the Panthers and then the Rams in 2022, before getting a chance to re-establish himself in 2023  with the Bucs. And did he ever.

His 28 touchdowns and 4,000-plus passing yards helped the team finish 9-8 and make the playoffs as a wild card. And last year was his best as a pro – 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards as Tampa Bay finished 10-7 and qualified for the wild-card round again. But now the goal is to go deeper into the playoffs, and Mayfield is off to another strong start leading three straight comeback wins, with six TDs, 615 yards and no interceptions. 

“Baker is the ultimate competitor,” said Shepard. “He hates to lose more than he loves to win. He approaches every single game like it’s his last game and every single play like it’s his last play. So when you’re playing with a guy like that, it feeds off on the rest of the offense. And that’s what makes him so special – the way he’s able to energize the rest of the guys he’s playing with.”

Shepard also marvels at Mayfield’s ability to withstand pressure and come up with clutch throws when the game is on the line. “You can expect him to be spot on nine times out of ten,” he said. “Things happen in a game that are beyond his control, but for the most part he’s cool and collected. And as long as you’re where you’re supposed to be, you can expect him to be right on the money.”

As for knowing when to tuck the ball and take off running?  “I’ve been telling that boy he needs to slide more,” Shepard said, smiling.

First-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who oversaw Mayfield last season as passing-game coordinator, points to his composure and command as key assets.

“He’s just so calm on the sideline,” Grizzard said. “No matter what happens here, we’re going to get this thing back and we’re going to go score. … Those guys know once we get up there and get on the line of scrimmage, he’s commanding that thing even in a hostile environment. That’s what you get out of the guy.”

All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has been practicing and might be ready for the Eagles, has formed a close friendship on and off the field with Mayfield and also has a sense of what makes him tick.

“Yeah, it’s been crazy, getting to go through fatherhood at the same time – our kids were born about eight days apart – and just being able to bounce things off each other has been great,” Wirfs said. “You know, I think that took our friendship to another level. It was like right when he got here, it was just him down here, and I said, ‘Hey, do you want to hang out?’ He was just stuck in a hotel. I was like, ‘Come on over, or let’s go get food, whatever.’ We just clicked right away, and it’s been great.”

To Wirfs, Mayfield is the ideal fit for the offense. 

“People ask me, ‘Compare him and Tom (Brady)’ and but I think he’s the perfect guy to come in here,” Wirfs added. “He said, ‘I’m going to be myself’ and I think that’s all anyone can ask. I think coming to Tampa was a big thing for him, and the front office having trust in him, and all of us having trust in him to go lead us. That’s just ignited something in him. Being hurt, I’ve had a chance to watch him in a different way. It’s pretty cool. He’s a special player.”

For the Bucs, he’s proven to be the right guy at the right moment.