The comeback king Baker Mayfield has added another accolade this season after earning the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week honor for Week 5 when the Bucs defeated the Seahawks 38-35. It was a well deserved reward for a performance that was the best out of anyone going against what had looked like a tough test in Seattle’s defense.

Baker Mayfield and Bills quarterback Josh Allen become the only players in the league to win the award at least once in each of the last three seasons.

In Tampa Bay’s 38–35 win, Mayfield was surgical. He completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and 2 touchdowns—while committing zero turnovers. His 87.9 % completion rate was the highest of any QB in a game this season. Adding yet another comeback win, Mayfield paced the team down late in the game. It was 70-yard, five-play drive that set up his 11-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard with 1:08 left that was another big moment. Soon after a Lavonte David interception, a couple of key runs by Rachaad White and another last second kick by Chase McLaughlin got the Bucs the win.

Baker Mayfield Has Earned His Praise 

Mayfield’s performance on Sunday marked the first regular season occurrence in NFL history in which a player threw for 375+ yards and had fewer than five incompletions, with only Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner accomplishing this in a playoff game. He is 1-of-3 quarterbacks this season with 350+ passing yards, multiple passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in a win (Josh Allen – Week 1, Matthew Stafford – Week 4).

During the year, Mayfield ranks tied for third in touchdown passes (10), fourth in passing yards (1,283), fourth in touchdown-to-interception ratio (10.0) and ninth in passer rating (104.4). Since his arrival in 2023, Mayfield is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (79) and ranks second in passing yards (9,827) and sixth in passer rating (101.2), while leading Tampa Bay to consecutive NFC South division titles.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

This is award consists of the validation of momentum and narrative. He was already getting MVP whispers weeks ago; this adds fuel to the fire. His early-season trend of clutch finishes and efficient passing is now backed up with league-wide acknowledgment.

Also, the Bucs offense jumped forward despite injuries and uncertainty. With players missing, having a quarterback who can operate with precision under stress is a massive edge. Mayfield has bene calm under pressure and getting the job done each week. His chemistry with rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is becoming elite.

Egbuka’s 163 yards in Seattle drew headlines of his own, but that connection boiled from Mayfield’s trust, his patience, and his ability to drive timing routes deep with the rookie sensation. This has also been done with Mike Evans in the last two games and Chris Godwin Jr. reacclimating to the lineup after almost a year of being out.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Mayfield has cleared a bar. He must continue to maintain it. The best story in football comes from what Baker Mayfield has been doing this season. It starts with weekly awards like this and hopefully can continue to upgrade to regular season MVP, a no. 1 playoff seed, a Super Bowl title and maybe even a Super Bowl MVP. The team award is what he would treasure most.

Information from the Bucs communications department was used in this story.