The Bucs’ 2024 season certainly came to an end before they wanted it to, as a mistake-riddled performance at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night led to a 23-20 loss to the Commanders and an NFC Wild Card Round exit. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for two touchdowns and only had three incompletions, but a costly fumble inside his own 20-yard line after a stop by the Tampa Bay defense loomed large following the game.

Just after the Buccaneers’ defense came through with a fourth-down stop inside the 5-yard line and wide receiver Mike Evans stretched out for a third-down conversion to start the ensuing possession, the timing was off as Mayfield went to hand the ball off to rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a jet sweep. Washington inside linebacker Bobby Wagner ended up with the loose ball, and the offense converted that turnover into a touchdown and a 20-17 lead.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Commanders LB Bobby Wagner Photo by: USA Today

“It comes back to me just timing it up correctly,” Mayfield said. “First one all year that happened on, so obviously the timing of it, not great. Being backed up, the defense had just done a hell of a job getting us the ball, another fourth down stop. Yeah, unfortunate. But that falls on me.”

As Mayfield reflected on the loss to the Commanders and the 2024 season as a whole, he admitted he would have a hard time giving himself a break for that turnover.

“Probably not. Just some dumb stuff today that cost the team,” Mayfield added. “So, that’s gonna wear on me for a while.”

Even when pressed on how much of a difference he made for the Bucs this year, the veteran quarterback spoke glowingly about his team before circling back to his own mistakes on Sunday night.

“It’s never just about one person,” Mayfield said. “That’s what this team embodied. That’s the most important part. That’s the thing they can be proud of, is that we grew together. Guys helped each other out and stepped up. But it’s never about one person. And unfortunately, I made a few mistakes to hurt the team today.”

That’s Baker Mayfield.

Baker Mayfield Reflects Further On Bucs’ 2024 Season

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As they did in 2023, the Bucs once again fought back from a midseason slump in 2024 to finish the season hot, win the NFC South for a fourth straight year and host another playoff game. They also upped their regular season win total to 10, and they did so while fighting through some significant injury issues. They also relied on a host of rookies and second-year players who had to play big roles.

All of that sounds good. Part of the picture will say 2024 was a building year for a battle-tested team and that Tampa Bay is primed to come back as a top contender in 2025 with the right moves this offseason. But the other part of the picture still bears the reality that the Bucs lost a home playoff game in crushing fashion.

So, how did Baker Mayfield reflect on the 2024 season moments after it ended? As it turned out, he tried to see both sides of it in his postgame press conference, as hard as it might’ve been to see the good in anything after Sunday night’s game ended the way it did.

“Right now, it absolutely sucks,” Mayfield said. “It’s disappointing overall because I believe in this team. I believe we had the talent and the coaching staff and everybody around us to be able to go far. But looking back, trying to take a step back big picture, this group fought. There was a lot of people that stepped up throughout the year, a ton of guys that stepped up into huge roles. So there’s a lot to be proud of.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield- Photo by: USA Today

“In this moment, that’s hard to see. But there were a lot of young guys that are going to be on this roster next year that had to step up and did in a big way. So that should build confidence for those guys, knowing who they are as players and as men in adversity situations to be able to step up like they did. That’s something to be proud of. But yeah, it goes back to being disappointing and not making the plays when you need it the most.”

Again, there were elements of the 2024 season that the Bucs will reflect on positively. They accomplished their goal of four-peating as NFC South Champions but fell well shy of the ultimate goal, which is to win the Super Bowl. That’s something Mayfield touched on as he closed out his press conference late Sunday night.

“You start the season off setting your goals as a team,” Mayfield said. “You start with the division, and we did that. And we had to battle to do it, so that’s one thing to be proud of. But like I said earlier, it’s disappointing because I really believed in this team. I still do. But obviously, every year is different. The roster is going to look different, so that’s the sad part about it. This group had the make-up to go all the way. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring our best stuff tonight and Washington did.”