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Baker Mayfield calls out Steve Wilks, Jets after win: 'Lot of stuff was personal today'

ProfilePhotoby: Nick Geddes09/21/25NickGeddesNews
Baker Mayfield
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield had a little extra motivation heading into Sunday’s Week 3 home contest against the New York Jets. For Mayfield, this game represented a chance to face off against a defense led by Steve Wilks.

Wilks, New York’s defensive coordinator, became head coach of the Carolina Panthers in October 2022 after the firing of Matt Rhule. Mayfield began that season as QB1 for Carolina before Wilks and the organization released him after Week 12. Mayfield went just 1-5 as starter for the Panthers.

Fast forward nearly three years later, and Mayfield has established himself as one of the NFL‘s best and most exciting quarterbacks. Mayfield has indeed found a home in Tampa Bay, and he led the Buccaneers to a 29-27 win over the Jets on Sunday. He admitted after the game that this one was personal.

“I loved it,” Mayfield told Jenna Laine of ESPN. “And also, their D-coordinator [Wilks] was the one that cut me in Carolina. Lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick, former Jet. Lot of people.”

Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers down Jets with another game-winning drive

Mayfield and the Buccaneers had to work to get the win against the Jets. They came into the game down multiple starters across their offense and defense and then lost wide receiver Mike Evans in the fourth quarter with a hamstring issue. Tampa Bay’s makeshift offensive line saw Luke Haggard and Elijah Klein make their first career NFL starts. The Buccaneers committed 14 penalties for 124 yards, many of them for holding up front.

With 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jets blocked a 43-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal attempt that if good, would have given the Buccaneers a 29-20 lead. Not only did they block it, but Will McDonald picked up the ball and took it the other way for a 50-yard go-ahead score. Suddenly, the game was back in Mayfield’s hands, a familiar situation for both he and his team.

The Buccaneers entered the game 2-0 after Mayfield led them on back-to-back game-winning scoring drives in the final minute. Sunday, they made it three in a row. Mayfield and the offense went seven plays for 48 yards, and McLaughlin nailed a 36-yard field goal as time expired.

Tampa Bay is the first team since 1970 with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation in each of their first three games of a season. Mayfield was masterful on each game-winning scoring drive.

“It’s hard to win in this league, period,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “Us shooting ourselves doesn’t help it much, but the resiliency they had to come back and win those games [is big]. We’re stacking them early this year. We’ve been 2-0 the past three or four years but we haven’t won the third game, so that’s a plus, winning the third game.”