Buccaneers' QB Baker Mayfield Makes NFL History at Lambeau Field Against Packers
Since Baker Mayfield's arrival in Tampa Bay, there have been question marks surrounding what Baker the Buccaneers would be getting.
Was it going to be the Baker that carried himself with confidence and moxie on his way to leading the Cleveland Browns to playoffs after years of frustrations and their first playoff victory since 1994? Or was it going to be the Mayfield that eventually stumbled and got injured and then subsequently got passed around the league - never fully finding a place to become comfortable or himself again.
Things started off hot for Baker once he became the full-time starter for the Bucs. He wasn't necessarily lighting up the box score, but he was winning over the locker room and doing whatever it took to go out there and win games.
Then, the Bucs went through a rough stretch.
The rough stretch was in no means because of the direct play of Mayfield, but more so due to the fact that the defense had slipped and Baker was forcing things without just playing ball.
Over the past few weeks, things have started rolling for not only Baker but the Buccaneers' offense as a whole. The running game has finally shown signs of life, which has opened up the passing game and taken the entire offense to a whole new level.
On Sunday, in a must-win matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the Buccaneers' offense and Baker Mayfield played their most complete game this season and for Mayfield perhaps the best game of his entire career.
Mayfield was able to accomplish something no other quarterback in the history of the NFL had EVER accomplished when playing the Packers on the road at Lambeau Field - a perfect passer rating.
This was not the only remarkable achievement Baker was able to accomplish in Sunday's 34-20 victory in Green Bay, as he also became just the 3rd QB in NFL history with 375+ passing yards (381), 4+ TD passes (4) & a 158.3 passer rating in a road game - joining Nick Foles and Ken O'Brien.
Baker completed 22/28 passes (78.6%) for 381 yards and four touchdowns (all to different receivers) with his only turnover being a fumble. His performance on Sunday vs. the Packers was something that the Buccaneers' faithful were waiting for - a breakout, statement victory. The victory also boosted Tampa Bay's odds of making the playoffs significantly and with a Falcons' loss on Sunday as well they took a greater leap.
The Buccaneers will look for more of this output from Mayfield and the offense as they will need every ounce of what they have in the tank over the course of the next three games against the Jaguars, Saints, and Panthers to secure the NFC South and achieve one of their goals of making the playoffs.
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