Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield came out on fire to begin the season, throwing for 289 and four touchdowns as the Bucs trounced the Commanders. It almost felt as if we were seeing shades of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Oklahoma in Mayfield as almost every Bucs drive ended in points. This also led to Mayfield winning several weekly awards to kick off the year.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

We’ve been saying all throughout training camp that the offense looks different, and that’s a good thing. That’s also a byproduct of Mayfield looking different, but much more in tune with the offense and the players he’s throwing to. Maybe offensive coordinator Liam Coen has something to do with it, but whatever the reason, it’s worked for the better overall.

Is Baker Mayfield seeing the game in a different way that he had before? He answered that this week.

What’s Working For Baker Mayfield?

“Playing quarterback, the more reps you get, the slower the game feels,” Baker Mayfield said. “Especially when you have the chemistry you do with your guys out wide. You know where they’re going to be on their routes, the timing of it, understanding coverages and how you want to attack it – that’s a big part of getting the ball out quick, and just that huge trust factor that I have in our guys to do the right thing.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

It’s not just his arm where he’s getting the job done. Last Sunday, Mayfield had a couple of Houdini acts where he was able to avoid defenders and escape to get a first down. In one instance he bought enough time to find Chris Godwin on third down, another, Mayfield tucked it and ran himself to move the chains.

“Sometimes you just have to make plays,” Mayfield said. “They get paid too; to make plays and cover the pass game so, [I’m] just trying to help our guys up front out. If we don’t have anything open down the field, [I’m] avoiding a tackle or two and getting the ball out or using my legs to make a positive play.”

Mayfield and the Bucs will have a chance to exercise some demons this Sunday playing against the Lions again. Tampa Bay fell to Detroit last season, once at home and the other on the road where their season ended in the second round of the playoffs. The Bucs return to that same spot this weekend with a chance to show that they’re a better team this time around.

A Chance To Get Some Revenge

While last week head coach Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield were relaxed and laughing up at their weekly press conferences, this week the whole Bucs’ locker room has a different feel to it. This isn’t to say that the Bucs took the Commanders lightly, but this week against the Lions the Bucs have unfinished business.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: USA Today

“You can definitely sense it already,” Mayfield said. “Within our building, when you put up the personnel, the game records, the scouting report, all that and you talk about the atmosphere, the memories instantly pop up and our guys are ready. You know, it’s obviously a topic of conversation of they ended our year and so [it’s] one that we’ve been looking forward to and it just so happens to be the one this week.”

Bucs May Rely On The Offense This Week

The Bucs have several injuries on their defensive side, including defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. It might be a situation where Tampa Bay’s offense has to match score for score with Detroit, or at least put a big number of points to win the game. Mayfield addressed this, too.

“Not to put more pressure on our offensive guys, but we expect to be efficient when we have the ball,” Baker Mayfield said. “Sustaining drives [and] finishing in the end zone rather than field goals, especially in a game like this, is going to be vital for success. For us, just trying to make the most of it when we have the ball and taking advantage of our opportunities.”