All Goals Are Still In Front Of “Pissed Off” Bucs

Baker Mayfield was not a happy quarterback following Sunday’s 20-6 loss to the Lions, which dropped the Bucs to 3-2 on the season.

And why should he be?

Mayfield had a first quarter pass to a wide-open Mike Evans that could’ve been a huge play tipped at the line and turn into an interception. He also had two overthrows to an open Trey Palmer down the field. All three could have been touchdowns.

Instead the Bucs were shut out of the end zone, and the team’s running game was often stymied at the line of scrimmage, as the No. 1-ranked rushing defense held Tampa Bay to just 46 yards on the ground. After the game, a visibly upset Mayfield said the offense needed to get “pissed off.”

“At a certain point, we’ve got to get pissed off as an offense,” Mayfield said. “We should be putting a lot of points up on the board. It’s got to be – we talk about the standard about winning around here, but offensively we need to look at it in a smaller picture. We should be putting up a lot of more points than we have been, and so we need to be accountable with that – it starts with me and we’ll get that going.”

The Bucs’ ground game currently ranks 29th in the league, averaging just 78.8 yards per game. That’s barely better than a year ago when Tampa Bay averaged 75.6 yards per game running the ball, which ranked dead last in the NFL.

After Wednesday’s practice, Mayfield reiterated that comment, but clarified it, suggesting he’s not angry – just determined. And he’s sensing the same level of determination from his teammates.

“Just fundamentally executing,” Mayfield said. “You know after watching the film it’s never … the good games, bad games – the film is never as good as you think it is, and it’s never as bad, either. With a few of those things it’s a lot of fundamentals. Like I mentioned, it’s get pissed off – but it’s take pride in your work about executing and doing your job each play.

“Today we had a good practice. There wasn’t any rah-rah speech. The guys know what we need to get done. That’s why this is a veteran group. Everybody understands what we need to do to get it fixed. Like I mentioned after the game, I’ll get my stuff fixed and everybody else is doing the same thing. I’m not worried about it.”

All Of Bucs’ Goals Are Still In Front Of Them – Despite The Loss

While a win last Sunday against an NFC team like Detroit would have been welcomed, a win this Sunday against an NFC South rival like Atlanta is a must. The Bucs currently have a half-game lead in the division over the 3-3 Falcons, and a victory would give Tampa Bay a 2-0 record in the division and continued sole possession of first place.

“We’re still hungry and all of our goals are in front of us,” Mayfield said. “Big picture-wise you have to win your division first to get where you want to go. We’re still in control of our destiny. We’ve got a big one [coming up on Sunday versus the Falcons] for us. We’re not hitting the panic button. We know we can play better. That’s the good thing. It’s not like we’re looking around, ‘Oh no, what’s the deal? How do we fix this?’ We know what we need to fix and we have the group to be able to do that.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles reacted to Mayfield’s “pissed off” remark, and welcomed it. He indicated that he thinks his team plays with the necessary amount of intensity and pride each week – perhaps a little more coming off a loss.

“In certain instances we should be pissed off every week,” Bowles said. “I think we are pissed off. I just think we have to play smart and more disciplined football as far as understanding what we have to do. And everybody has to go out and do their job. We have to coach it better and play it better, that includes and entails being pissed off.”

Bowles said that his team came out of Sunday’s loss to the Lions relatively unscathed from an injury standpoint, and that included Mayfield, who banged his left hand against a helmet during the game.

Mayfield was asked about his bruised non-throwing hand on Wednesday and he replied by saying it was, “golden.”