Baker Mayfield Refuses to Blame Buccaneers Defense After Collapse vs. Falcons

Mayfield shouldered the blame for Tampa Bay's 29-28 loss to the Falcons.

Mayfield's Buccaneers have now lost five of their last six games. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter against the division-rival Falcons, but a late interception by quarterback Baker Mayfield and the defense's inability to stop a driving Atlanta offense on a third-and-28—and fourth-and-14—with the game on the line ultimately doomed Tampa Bay. After the game, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles blamed the players in a fiery, expletive-laden rant during his postgame press conference.

Mayfield, while speaking to reporters, made it clear whom he believes is to blame: himself.

“It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “Can’t turn the ball over, can’t have that interception. And then, just gotta hit [Emeka Egbuka] in stride on that third down. Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense, and it comes down to how I play. And this one’s gonna haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”

With 8:28 remaining in the game and Tampa Bay up by eight while driving into Falcons territory, Mayfield was intercepted by Atlanta's defense, a turnover that opened the door for a 10-play, 67-yard touchdown drive led by Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. Then, clinging to a two-point lead, the Buccaneers faced a second-and-14, needing to get a first down to run the clock down to the two-minute warning and all but seal defeat for the timeout-less Falcons. Only, Mayfield missed an open Emeka Egbuka, the incomplete pass hurting doubly because it stopped the clock.

But it was a complete collapse by the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay's defense, clinging to a two-point lead and needing to prevent Atlanta from entering field-goal range, sacked Cousins and forced a fumble, which he recovered. The Buccaneers then benefited from the Falcons being even further away from the sticks when Atlanta offensive tackle Jake Matthews was penalized for holding, one of 19 Falcons penalties. Then, on a third-and-28, Tampa Bay yielded a 14-yard completion from Cousins to tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., then a 21-yard pass from Cousins to David Sills for the first down. Just five plays later, Falcons kicker Zane Gonzalez drilled a 43-yard field goal for the win.

But Mayfield again refused to blame the defense when asked if it was “an angry locker room.”

“Yeah, we’re pissed off,” Mayfield said. “We expected to win that game. We want to win that game. Should be pissed off. And, like I said, when you’re up two scores and your offense has a chance to put the game away, and you don’t—obviously, people are gonna blame the defense, but it’s not the defense’s fault. It’s our fault. It’s my fault. And that’s that’s how I view it, and that’s how I’m gonna handle it.”

Mayfield responds to Bowles blaming the Buccaneers players for loss to Falcons

In a profane rant in which he called the loss “f------ inexcusable” and implored his players to “look in the f------ mirror,” Bowles didn't hold back in his opinions about how Tampa Bay managed to lose a game in which it held a seemingly stout lead.

And Mayfield didn't disagree.

“He hit the nail on the head, saying and questioning does it mean anything to the guys?” Mayfield said. “Like, ‘does this hurt enough for you to actually make changes. To come in, do the work that you need to do, to do the things that we need to do as a team to get better, fix these things and win ball games?’ And he repeated it, and it really is as simple as that. We have talent. Talent doesn’t get you s--- though.

“Doing the work and executing on game days does, and that’s—we didn’t do that today. Like I said, I did not do that.”

After a 5-1 start, Tampa Bay has lost five of its last six games and now holds just a 53% chance to make the postseason—a win would have boosted those odds to 80%.

A Week 16 date with the Panthers, who have a chance to move into first place in the NFC South ahead of the Buccaneers with a win over the Saints this week, looms large.

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