Sunday Night Football hits different when your quarterback goes down. You grab the remote tighter. And it just gets worse when your team gets blown out. Baker Mayfield walked off, and you could see. You could feel it was serious. Damn! That feeling ruins your whole week.
Baker Mayfield belongs to that class of QBs who’d happily throw a football with a broken arm. But his toughness finally met its match on Sunday night. Baker’s face was a grim mask of pain. The Buccaneers were getting pummeled by the Rams. Then, the franchise quarterback disappeared into the blue medical tent. He emerged. Tried to tough it out. But that body of his was screaming the truth. And coach Todd Bowles saw it firsthand.
Baker Mayfield’s Shoulder Saga: A Portrait of Pain
“When he goes out, he’s obviously really hurt cuz he’s a tough guy. When he went in the tent and you can see it on his face when he came off the field and you kind of knew something happened right there,” Bowles admitted. It’s not really the thing you’d want the coach to say about his toughest player, is it? Mayfield’s 45 straight starts can face a halt. The immediate question was obvious. Could he play through it? After all, it’s his non-throwing shoulder.
But Bowles gave no reassurance.
“He’s obviously really hurt… you can see it on his face when he came off the field and you kind of knew something happened right there,” Todd Bowles had this to say on Baker Mayfield’s condition before the MRI reports came.
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The Bucs HC said, “I’m not sure yet” about playing with this injury. Talk about a gut punch! But Mayfield did try to battle the pain. He went back in. Even launched a desperate Hail Mary before halftime. But he eventually crumpled to the turf and lost the battle to Matthew Stafford.
The left arm in a sling told the full story. The pain told everything. The sight was all too familiar for fans who remember his labrum tear from 2021. It just looked like a nightmare on repeat.
“But who decides that he’s okay to go back in the game, I guess?” Bowles was asked. “Oh, the doctors decide and have something to do with it. He has a say so, but more or less the pain thing and what he can do kind of tells the whole story,” Bowles confirmed. Mayfield wants to play through anything. Not all pain can be braved through. That’s clear.
A crucial Cardinals game is on Sunday. Practice reports will tell the tale. Meanwhile, Monday afternoon brought a sigh of relief. Well, to some extent.
Baker Mayfield’s Status Tests Buccaneers Depth
The MRI revealed a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, per ESPN. The MRI revealed a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. No structural damage. A source even told ESPN that Mayfield was “pretty fortunate.” No kidding! This could have been a season-ender. What happens in Week 13 is still to be seen. Meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater stands ready.
Bowles seems to trust him completely. “We all have confidence in Teddy,” he said. The veteran went 8-of-15 Sunday with no turnovers. The offense will adapt to his style. But is Mayfield that easily replaceable? His 18 touchdowns this season prove otherwise.
Tampa Bay leads the NFC South by half a game at 6-5. Resting Mayfield makes football sense. But 4 losses in the last 5 games say something else. It says the Bucs need to get on the field with all guns blazing. Besides, Bridgewater started his last game in 2022.
Bowles faces a franchise-altering choice. Mayfield’s value runs beyond what the stat sheets say. The MRI brought relief but also uncertainty. Do the Bucs risk their leader for a short-term battle or secure their general for the long-term war? Let’s see which way Bowles tilts.
Main Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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