The coming days will give everyone a lot more insight into the Bucs’ quarterback situation going forward, but if Teddy Bridgewater needs to step in and start in place of an injured Baker Mayfield next Sunday against the Cardinals in Tampa, you can bet he’ll be ready.

“I’m very confident,” Bridgewater said when asked about his confidence in the offense if he’s under center. “If it’s my turn, it’s my number, I’ve just got to answer the bell.”

Bridgewater was thrust into action Sunday night under tough circumstances — for a number of reasons. On the one hand, it was difficult to see Mayfield — the team’s fire-starter and leader — go down with a sprained shoulder. But there was also some more difficulty for Bridgewater in the circumstances leading up to the game. In fact, he only just got to Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

“It was difficult just going in after flying to L.A. today, he said. “I was back in Miami for a funeral. My mentor actually passed away, and I was back home for his funeral. So, I got here today, about 10:30 this morning, and had to play in the game.”

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

But Bridgewater took the whirlwind of a situation in stride.

“I think it’s pretty cool. My lifestyle is one like a rockstar, I guess,” he said. “But it’s unfortunate that it came by way of an injury. You never wanna see guys injured, especially a leader. Bake’s a tough guy, man. He tried to come back out there today and tough it out for the guys. That says a lot about him and it says a lot about this team.”

With or without Mayfield, the Bucs couldn’t get much of anything going against the Rams on Sunday night. Mayfield was just 9-of-19 for 41 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the first half, then Bridgewater went 8-of-15 for 62 yards. Both quarterbacks were sacked twice in the 34-7 loss.

Despite the Bucs falling behind big early and then losing their quarterback and leader, Bridgewater was seen doing what he could to rally the troops on the sideline.

“You’ve got to give the guys that reassurance,” he said. “I don’t care if the score is 100 to 0, I’ll be out there just continually trying to motivate guys. That’s part of the coach in me, that’s part of the player that I am. But at the same time, when I’m out there, it’s just fun. Because I always tell myself, I’m not even supposed to be here right now. So any opportunity that I get to go out there and play, I’m gonna make sure I try to leave some type of everlasting impact, whether it’s on the field or off the field.”

Teddy Bridgewater: “The Standard Will Be Raised Around Here”

There’s no doubt that the Bucs’ stock has hit a season low following Sunday night’s 27-point loss to the NFC-leading Rams. Tampa Bay has lost three straight games and four of its last five, falling to 6-5 after a 5-1 start. Asked about the disappointment that came with that kind of performance in a primetime loss, Teddy Bridgewater chose to focus on the week ahead, saying that he knows the team will bounce back and feed off that disappointment going forward.

“Yeah, it’s a ton of disappointment,” Bridgewater said. “f you go in that locker room, if you listen to the speeches after the game, you get a feel for that disappointment. You’ll see it this week in practice. I’m pretty sure guys’ level of play is going to be raised and the standard will be raised around here for players and coaches.”

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

Of course, it remains to be seen whether it’ll be Bridgewater under center for the Bucs next Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals or if Mayfield will be able to play through his injury. The results of his MRI, scheduled for Monday, should provide a clearer picture.

But if Bridgewater does have to step in as a starter, it’s not as if it’s a new world to him. He has 83 games and 65 starts to his name over the course of his career, completing 66.3% of his passes for 15,182 yards and 75 touchdowns to 47 interceptions over 11 seasons with the Vikings, Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins, Lions and Bucs.

If Bridgewater starts for Tampa Bay next week against Arizona, it would mark the sixth team that he has made a start for in his career. But will the Bucs need him?

“If I had a crystal ball or a text message in my phone that could tell me about the future, I’d be able to answer that,” Bridgewater said Sunday night. “But we’ll take this one day at a time. I’ve got to just continue to prepare the way I’ve been preparing all year and if it’s my number that’s called, I’ve just got to go play.”