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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018, but has spent the majority of his career since then being the underdog, something he says he enjoys. Mayfield has endured an unending competition to prove his worth as a starting QB, including this year when he battled Kyle Trask for QB1 honors. But after bouncing around the league, he might have finally found a home in Tampa.
Being the dark horse does not bother Mayfield. He uses it as fuel.
“It’s always fun to be counted out,” Mayfield said (via NFL.com), following a 32-9 blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night in Super Wild Card Weekend. “Obviously, I’m pretty comfortable in it, but our team has completely embraced that.
“There’s something about whether it’s you’re an underdog or a road game, just having your backs against the wall and knowing it’s just your team versus everybody else when you’re counted out, and it’s always fun to be in that role.”
The No. 4-seeded Buccaneers entered the game 9-8, while the No. 5 Eagles stood at 11-6. Even though the Bucs won five of their last six games and the Eagles lost five of their last six, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles knew many people didn’t expected his team, which at one point in the season stood at 4-7, to win against the defending NFC champions.
“They were ready to play, you know,” Bowles said. “We’re not going to go in there trying to play for a tie. We were going for the win. We know we’re underdogs. We’ll be underdogs next week, too. We understand that. We embrace it. We like it. Them guys come up play after play. We’ll enjoy tonight, and we’ll get going tomorrow on Detroit.”
Anyone who counted Mayfield and the Buccaneers out was eating their words Monday night. Mayfield was stellar in the win, going 22 of 36 with 337 yards passing and three touchdowns. He is the first quarterback in franchise history to have 300-plus…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/buccaneers-baker-mayfield-on-record-breaking-playoff-win-vs-eagles-its-always-fun-to-be-counted-out/
Author : Shanna McCarriston
Publish date : 2024-01-16 17:02:44
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