It took until Week 18, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 9-8 and won the NFC South in 2023. That gave the team an automatic berth to the playoffs. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs are the 4th overall seed and will be playing the Eagles tonight. The winner of that game will be headed to Detroit to face the Lions in the divisional round.
Entering Tampa Bay’s home playoff game, starting QB Baker Mayfield will not be at 100 percent. He’s dealing with rib and ankle injuries. However, the veteran signal-caller is not going to miss this opportunity to play in the postseason. Mayfield is going to play through the pain and give the Bucs his all in the wild-card round. It will not be an easy win going up against the Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Baker Mayfield will be available for the Buccaneers in their wildcard matchup vs. the Eagles
From @GMFB: #Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs, ankle) and #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (finger) are both expected to play today, while Philly WR AJ Brown (knee sprain) could play next week if they advance. pic.twitter.com/OZ5TPQqCIO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2024
The Buccaneers are trying to ride a wave of momentum into the 2023 postseason. Tampa Bay ended their season winning five of their last six games. In his first season with the Bucs, Mayfield has proven he’s more than capable of being their QB1. Mayfield was on a one-year deal for 2023. A win in the postseason could potentially earn him a massive extension with the Bucs. The 28-year-old threw for a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 passing touchdowns in his first season with Tampa Bay.
He finished seventh in passing touchdowns and ninth in passing yards this season. Tonight, Mayfield is coming into the game with two separate injuries. That is not going to stop him from giving 100 percent and playing through the pain to give his team a chance to win. Buccaneers fans saw him do it last week when the team needed a win to stay alive. Mayfield was hobbling a lot last game due to an ankle injury.
Division titles since 1999:
Baker Mayfield: 1
Cleveland Browns: 0 pic.twitter.com/7gqi8CzOpV
— Ben Dackiw (@BenDackiw) January 8, 2024
This will only be the third playoff game of Baker Mayfield’s career. In four seasons with the Browns, they made one postseason appearance in 2020 and Cleveland went 1-1. In year one with the Bucs, Mayfield has won the division and has a home playoff game. Not a bad start to his career with Tampa Bay. Mayfield and the rest of his teammates would love to end Philadelphia’s season tonight at home. It’s going to take a full team effort.
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