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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) and quarterback Baker Mayfield have plenty in common, which is a key factor in why they’re now operating as a perfect match. Both have experienced plenty of peaks and valleys lately, and they’re both primed to make NFL history in their Week 18 game against the New Orleans Saints (5-11) on Sunday afternoon.
The Buccaneers reached the postseason seven times in 11 seasons from 1997 to 2007, a run that included an NFC Championship game appearance in 1999 and a Super Bowl XXXVII title in the 2002 season. Mayfield dominated college football at the University of Oklahoma: he was a two-time Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year (2015, 2017) and the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner.
Then, each had a dry spell. Tampa Bay went 12 seasons (2008-2019) without a playoff appearance, and Mayfield played for three teams — the Cleveland Browns (2021), the Carolina Panthers (2022) and the Los Angeles Rams (2022) — in two seasons while ping-ponging around the league, looking for a long-term fit. The Buccaneers began their comeback with the G.O.A.T, Tom Brady, winning Super Bowl LV in 2020 and then having two more playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022. In 2023 and 2024, Mayfield has helped keep the good times rolling in Tampa Bay while playing the best football of his career, including what’s shaping up to be his first two Pro Bowl seasons.
With a win over the Saints on the Sunday, Mayfield can help the Buccaneers achieve some of the best success in franchise history while creating a new club in NFL history. A victory would clinch the NFC South division title for Tampa Bay as well as the organization’s fifth consecutive playoff trip. That would be their longest streak in Buccaneers history, and it would mark them as the only NFC team to reach the postseason in each of the past five seasons. Tampa Bay would also become the first team in NFL history to start 4-6 and reach the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/baker-mayfield-buccaneers-on-precipice-of-making-nfl-history-with-strong-week-18-performance-vs-saints/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2025-01-02 14:29:00
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