‘No Room For Error’: Pressure Galvanized The Buccaneers
Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) reacts after recovering a fumble against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Opportunities like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have on Sunday are rare in the NFL and Baker Mayfield knows it.
“It means a ton just to be able to possibly do it at home, and against a divisional opponent, as well. It should be a great atmosphere.” Mayield said during his media availability when asked about the rare opportunity to clinch a division title at home during week 17. “The things we’ve had to do and go through to get to this point – it means quite a bit when you look at having to rattle off this many in a row and having to do it again at home. It’s a great opportunity for us and just the beginning of where we eventually want to get to.”
After a brutal stretch that saw the team lose six games in seven weeks Mayfield knew there was very little room for error. But it’s that pressure that he believes galvanized the team.
“From an offensive perspective, we talked about for those weeks that we didn’t play very well, but we were so close schematically and doing the little things right. We finally put those things together and you’ve seen the improvement. That was the thing – weather the storm, trust the system, don’t try and do too much, don’t reinvent the wheel, stick with it, just improve on it and find success within the system.”
Mayfield’s OC Dave Canales also emphasize the say the course mentality when asked about the team overcoming their midseason struggles.“For me, I didn’t have a choice but to continue to believe. I didn’t have a choice but to say, ‘This is what I know.’ … but it was a real test for me, too, as a first-time coordinator, to say, ‘Are you going to stay with it? Are you going to be about what you said you were going to be about?’ … [I] continue to encourage the group like, ‘This is all we have boys, so let’s continue to grow that way.'”
After averaging over 30 points a game in their last three the Bucs offense is truly rounding into shape at the perfect time, and the veteran quarterback believes he may be playing some of his best football.
“I feel good… I feel really good about where I’m at, seeing the field. Obviously, playing quarterback, each rep you can take things away from it. [You’re] continuing to learn and improve on it. So yeah, I think just being in the system for a bit now and getting comfortable with it, that’s what happens. Once you get comfortable in the system, you can truly grow and see the improvements and I think that’s where we’re at right now.”
But Mayfield knows the challenges of this rivalry and is doing his best to be fully prepared for the emotions that go with the divisional matchup.
“They’re a physical team – it gets chippy.” he said. It’s just one of those good rivalries that goes back and forth, so you see the intensity. You feel it on the field – the physical ballgame that it really is. Obviously, it comes down to this late December game and there’s a lot on the line, so I’m expecting it to be a physical game.”
If Tampa and their new leader can handle the emotions of Sunday and continue to ride their recent wave it will be a storybook ending to a regular season that no one would have seen coming 6 weeks ago.
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