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Baker Mayfield Paid Huge Compliment to Matthew Stafford Ahead of Bucs-Rams Showdown

Karl Rasmussen

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke highly of Matthew Stafford ahead of their Week 12 clash.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke highly of Matthew Stafford ahead of their Week 12 clash. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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It will be business as usual when the Rams and Buccaneers take the field for Sunday’s NFC showdown. But that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty of mutual respect between members of both sides.

In particular, the quarterback battle will be one that captures the attention of fans, as two MVP candidates will square off in Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford. Ahead of Sunday’s game, Mayfield made abundantly clear how highly he regards Stafford, boldly asserting that he considers him to be an all-time great.

“He can do everything. He’s always been able to make every throw. As long as he was in Detroit, he didn’t get a whole lot of credit for how really good he was. I understand that now. To me, he’s always been a top three or five quarterback in the league. And one of the best, if not the best, pure passer in the history of the NFL,” Mayfield declared when speaking to reporters on Thursday. “The way it comes off of his hand, the way he can change his arm angles, obviously the no-look passes really started with him. He can do it all....”

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Mayfield has been a longtime admirer of Stafford, and acknowledged that he didn’t always get the credit he deserved when playing on bad Lions teams during the early part of his career. Since joining the Rams and winning a Super Bowl, it seems that NFL fans have finally caught on to just how dominant Stafford is.

This season is a prime example of the veteran quarterback’s excellence. In 2025, Stafford has thrown 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s racked up 2,557 yards in 10 games and has completed 66% of his passes. Mayfield will have to be at his best if he’s hoping to lead Tampa Bay to a road victory in Los Angeles, and he’s well aware that Stafford won’t be making many mistakes when the ball’s in his hand.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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