-
Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said X-rays did not reveal any fractures after taking a late hit to the ribs in the Bucs’ 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints Sunday.
“Ribs don’t feel too great right now,” Mayfield said. “But we’ll do some more exams to see what’s really bugging me, but don’t have anything right now so it’s just sore.”
The hit came on a two-point conversion attempt after a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin with 1:47 to go. Mayfield had left the pocket and safety Tyrann Mathieu was giving a roughing the passer penalty when he slammed into Mayfield’s chest right after the ball got out.
“It was one of those late scramble plays that, last second, throwing the ball to Chris obviously, they’re gonna take hits,” Mayfield said. “It’s a physical team. They played that way today. They hit us right in the mouth from the get-go.”
Mayfield continued to play and did not leave the game. In fact, he had to replay the two-point conversion because Godwin had an illegal touch pass, with those penalties offsetting each other. On the second attempt, Mayfield looked for wide receiver Mike Evans on a slant route but instead it was intercepted by Paulson Adebo.
After the play, Mayfield was wincing and in considerable pain as he knelt down on the sideline. He was seen moving slowly in the locker room after the game.
“He went back out there,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “Obviously it was a late hit. I’ve got to look at the film again to see what happened, by the went back out there after he got hurt. So we’ll see how he feels.”
Mayfield and his teammates said all week that they were preparing for a physical matchup, between the Saints’ style of play and with the playoffs on the line. A win would have clinched the NFC South title for the Bucs, while the Saints were facing postseason elimination, and instead kept their own playoff hopes alive.
Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs expressed frustration over his quarterback twice taking late hits against the same team. In Week 4, Mayfield was bent backwards by defensive end Cam Jordan and defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd and Shepherd drew a roughing the passer penalty, with Mayfield calling the hit “pretty scary” afterwards.
“[No.] 93 [Shepherd] did it the first game and Tyrann Mathieu did it this game. And he’s chirping at the ref saying he didn’t,” Wirfs said. “But that’s part of football. Bake’s a tough guy. A tough bastard. I don’t know. I can’t say anything else about it.”
The loss puts the Bucs in a “must win” situation next week at the Carolina Panthers — to win their third-consecutive division title and to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Mayfield spent the first seven games of the season last year in Carolina before he was released, signed by the Los Angeles Rams, and then the Bucs this offseason, for a one-year deal for $4 million with incentives that drive it to $8.5 million.
“The guys in the locker room are great,” Mayfield said of his former team. “For other reasons, I’ll be extremely motivated to play. Obviously the division is on the line. There’s many things. Everyone in our locker room should be motivated — not just me.”
