Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Leads Majority of NFL Quarterbacks in Impressive Stat
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to battle back after losing control of the NFC South but are once again in the driver's seat in the division entering their Week 16 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
To say the Buccaneers could use a win this weekend would be an understatement, but it's not necessarily a must-win, per se.
Fortunately, even if it's a run-of-the-mill want-to-win contest, Tampa Bay will have one of the NFL's best quarterbacks leading it into battle.
That's because coming into the weekend quarterback Baker Mayfield has the ninth-best quarterback rating in the NFL sitting behind the likes of Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) but ahead of guys like Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs).
He's gotten there by ranking among the 10 best in touchdown and interception percentages while on pace to break the 3,500 yards passing mark this weekend and 4,000 by the end of the regular season.
Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a run against the Atlanta Falcon in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
With the NFC South second-place New Orleans Saints losing to the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night the Bucs now hold a half-game lead in the division.
This means that with a win over the Jaguars this weekend, and even if the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Indianapolis Colts, the Buccaneers would be in a division-clinching scenario next weekend when New Orleans comes to Raymond James Stadium.
Likely without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (concussion), Jacksonville is projected to roll out backup C.J. Beathard for this weekend.
While Tampa Bay has had its fair share of struggles against backup quarterbacks over the years Beathard has never played the team himself while the Jaguars hold a 4-3 series lead in their head-to-head history.
So it's a good thing the Bucs have Mayfield playing near the top of the league overall, and coming off his best game as an NFL quarterback, earning a perfect quarterback rating against the Green Bay Packers just last weekend.
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