Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield identifies key positive from Patriots loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers unfortunately suffered their third loss of the season in Week 10 against the New England Patriots. The 28-23 final score makes it seem like the game was closer than it actually was.

The Patriots controlled the game from the onset, and at one point, it seemed like they would run away with it before the Bucs attempted to complete yet another game-winning comeback.

It was not what the Buccaneers or their fans had hoped for coming out of their bye week and getting right tackle Luke Goedeke back in the lineup. QB Baker Mayfield was pretty blunt on what the team has to correct moving forward, but also pointed out how well his offensive line and running backs did on their way to 113 yards on the ground against the top-ranked rushing defense in the league.

Mayfield complimentary of o-line despite injuries

Ben Bredeson Baker Mayfiel — Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Ben Bredeson (68) and quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"It felt really good. Obviously, getting Luke [Goedeke] back was huge, do not get me wrong on that. Luke is an enforcer in the run game. [He is] a guy who kind of sets the tone for us," said Mayfield. "But then, after the first drive, you lose Ben Bredeson, but Michael Jordan [is] another guy that we have had come in there and play left guard for us and we trust, he is a physical force as well."

Getting Goedeke back was an obvious boost for the offensive line. The right side of the line looked more in sync and solid throughout the game, but unfortunately, the loss of Bredeson on the left side impacted things.

As mentioned by Mayfield, Jordan did a solid job of stepping in and could be looked upon for further playing time depending on the severity of Bredeson's hamstring injury.

The offensive line did a solid job opening lanes for running backs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker with Bucky Irving still sidelined with his shoulder injury, and Mayfield gave them their props as well for their performance — but he added that there are still things that are going wrong that can be changed.

Mayfield talks RBs, room for improvement

"I am proud of the way those guys ran the ball. Rachaad [White] ran the ball really hard, so did 'Tuck' (Sean Tucker) when he had his opportunities in there. We just have to look at the things we did well, continue that, continue — like, 'How did that happen?' It is probably attitude, effort and just execution, then when you look at the stuff that went wrong, it is probably the opposite of that. If we can be consistent on that and hyperfocus on each play at a time, we are going to be fine, but that has just got to change."

The Buccaneers were able to put over 100 yards on the ground against the Pats' number one-ranked run-stopping defense, and that is nothing to gloss over. However, the running game has struggled since Irving went down in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, only surpassing the 100-yard mark twice.

Tucker has now surpassed White in rushing the past two games, so we could see him become more involved in the offense when (or if) Irving makes his way back into the lineup before the season's end.

Mayfield knows it, so the rest of the roster knows it as well. There is room for improvement, and that starts with being consistent and hyper-focused on the play that is happening in the moment. The Bucs have struggled with consistency in large part due to all the injuries they have suffered on offense.

While 'next man up' might seem cliché, the Bucs and their players have no other choice but to step up if they hope to start seeing that consistency and start putting together wins once again.

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