By Carter Brantley
It’s too early to be talking about this.
And yet…
Sunday afternoon’s game for the Bucs was a statement performance from quarterback Baker Mayfield as Tampa Bay proceeded to take down the San Francisco 49ers 30-19.
So far, Baker has been one of the best players in football, and has emerged as the way-too-early MVP favorite.
If you want to point to a single play that signifies Mayfield’s value to this team look no further than the wonderful and miraculous 15 yard run on third and 14 early in the fourth quarter.
It looked like he was going to be brought down for a massive sack and kill some solid momentum that the Buccaneers had built up.
Instead, as he’s done so many times throughout this impressive start, Mayfield was able to not only escape, but pick up a massive gain.
Later in the drive, the former first overall pick threw an absolute laser down the field to rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson, who managed to break open and make a miraculous catch for a touchdown.
Obviously, Baker’s success is not a solo accomplishment, as rookie wideout and Emeka Egbuka has been off to a historic start, and offensive coordinator, Josh Grizzard, has been cooking up some tremendous game plans.
And yet with as many offensive line injuries as the books have sustained as well as being without arguably their top three pass catchers going into this season, Baker has been able to still put the Buccaneers in perfect position to maintain their dominance in the NFC South.
The defense took advantage of backup quarterback Mac Jones, as despite the former Patriot throwing for over 300 yards and a second consecutive game he also threw a couple of backbreaking interceptions.
The Buccaneers pass rush also managed to show up in a big way, especially in the second half, with their excellent performance punctuated by a game-sealing sack from Hassan Reddick.
The group had six for the day, and the pressure is a big reason why Jones threw those two interceptions.
Around the division, the Carolina Panthers managed to sneak out a win against the Dallas Cowboys, bringing the teams record to 3-3 for the year.
The Falcons take on the tough Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier for Tampa Bay because after their tough matchup with the now 4-2 49ers, they head to Detroit next week to battle with the very talented Detroit Lions.
However, even if they’re unable to emerge victorious a 5-2 start would be one heck of a thing, especially considering all of the injuries and the tough teams they’ve had to play.
But we can’t rule anything out with this team and they could very well be going into their bye week at 6-1.
Fire those cannons the Buccaneers are absolutely cooking, or should we say baking?
