Baker Mayfield on Bucs' playoff win: 'Always fun to be counted out'

Baker Mayfield had the time of his life as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the NFC Wild Card round.

Going into Monday night, the Eagles were three-point favorites, despite losing five of six games coming in. The Bucs, who just got in at 9-8, winning a weaker NFC South, embraced the underdog role.

Mayfield saw a career resurgence in 2023 and it continued in his second playoff win.

“It’s always fun to be counted out,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, I’m pretty comfortable in it, but our team has completely embraced that.”

Mayfield finished the win 22-of-36 passing for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

“There’s something about whether it’s you’re an underdog or a road game, just having your backs against the wall and knowing it’s just your team versus everybody else when you’re counted out, and it’s always fun to be in that role,” Mayfield said.

Coming into the game, Mayfield dealt with a rib injury and definitely took some hard hits that could’ve caused some worry for Bucs fans.

“I don’t know the science,” Mayfield said of the treatment with a laugh. “I just let him do the work. I’m a glutton for punishment. It’s not fun, but it’s worth it.”

Since it’s worth it, Mayfield and the Bucs have another playoff game to prepare for. They’ll take on the Lions in Detroit on Sunday for a chance to get to the NFC Championship.

At one point, that might’ve been unfathomable for Mayfield when he was a backup with the LA Rams last season.

This regular season, Mayfield had 3,907 yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 64.4% completion percentage. In his career, Mayfield had 20,195 yards, 130 touchdowns, 74 interceptions and a 61.9% completion percentage.

The former Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018.

In three years at Oklahoma, following one season at Texas Tech, Mayfield had 12,292 yards, 119 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and a 69.8% completion percentage. He added 893 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

As a member of the Class of 2013, Mayfield was a three-star recruit out of Austin (Texas), Lake Travis according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 151 overall prospect in the state, the No. 65 quarterback in the class and the No. 1,043 overall prospect in the class.