Sunday afternoon was quite the game for Baker Mayfield and the Bucks. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, and after going into the locker room down 27-24, both football teams flipped a switch and pulled away to win 51-27.
The offense did whatever it wanted as the game progressed, hitting the rocks, and the team’s starting quarterback bounced back after an early misfire to lead the team in high scoring. Mayfield talked after the game about how he stayed calm and confident, which has been a theme for him this season.
Baker Mayfield on the ups and downs: ‘You have to deal with it the right way’
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Baker Mayfield got off to a great start Sunday afternoon at Caesars Superdome, completing his first nine passes and throwing a 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Chris Godwin to open the game. Mayfield and the team were tested after the Bucks took a 17-0 lead.
First, he threw an interception to cornerback Paulson Adebo off a bad read. On the next drive, he threw a ball that bounced off wide receiver Jalen McMillan and into the hands of safety Jonathan Abram.
After throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass to running back Sean Tucker, Mayfield completed his hat trick of interceptions in the second quarter. One of the passes hit defensive tackle Brian Brisee at the line of scrimmage and was caught by defensive end Cam Jordan. A simple popup.
It was a rocky start, but things started to calm down after that.
“Offensively, it was a collective effort,” Mayfield said after calming down. “We had some bad situations where the ball was slanted. The first interception was definitely the worst pass. Not a good decision, but… [Paulson Adebo] It was hidden pretty well. do not have [flinching]. There will be ups and downs, but that’s why you play 60 minutes. There’s a reason why we’re split into two, just to regroup and find a way.
Bucs WR Sterling Shepard and Chris Godwin, QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
3rd Q, Mayfield connected to godwin He ran in on a short pass along the right sideline and scored a 55-yard touchdown. He then led 31-27 with his fourth touchdown pass of the day to tight end Cade Otton, completing 24 of 36 passes for 325 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Finished the match.
Liam Cohen’s offense remained unfazed and overcame early mistakes. historic day We thank Mayfield et al. for their contributions. Tucker had 192 total yards (136 rushing, 56 receiving) and two touchdowns, Godwin had 11 catches, 125 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, and the offense held on, allowing just one sack. did.
It was a completely offensive effort all the way through.
“I’m thinking about exactly what this team represents, what we talked about this week about taking things one thing at a time, and so much more,” Mayfield added. “There’s going to be a lot of distractions and ups and downs, but you have to deal with them the right way. That’s how our team dealt with the second quarter. “Obviously, we gave them short fields on consecutive nights, and we had to deal with them the right way. It doesn’t give the defense any benefit to hold them back or hold them down a few field goals, just to come to halftime and say, “If we take care of our business, we’ll be fine.” That’s what we did. That’s the type of culture we’ve built. It’s a truly resilient group. ”
Baker Mayfield trusts this group of Bucks and it shows in 2024
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
It was the second time in franchise history that the Bucks scored 50 points in a game, and the only other time. 2019 Season Week 4 vs. Rams.
The team’s scoring ability was close to the top of the league beforehand, but their 51 points tied for the most in the NFL (178 points), giving them an average of 29.7 points per game.
Baker Mayfield believes he has established trust with the players around him.
“We’ve had some not-so-good games so far, but I believe in this group,” Mayfield said. “The most important play is always the next play. It doesn’t matter if it’s good, bad or ugly. You just have to play the next game. Being surrounded by a group gives me confidence as well. ”
Through the first six games of the season, Mayfield led the NFL with 15 touchdown passes and added two rushing touchdowns. He ranks second in the league with a passer rating of 109.4 and has completed 134 of 189 passes (70.9%) for 1,489 passing yards.
Simply put, he looks like an elite quarterback operating in offensive coordinator Liam Cohen’s system, with an improved ability and mental resiliency to overcome the mistakes that once plagued him early in his career. I am.
