The Buccaneers lost badly to the Washington Commanders 20-13 in the playoff wild card match, ending their season early. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was ready for a big playoff game after a strong season, but one fumble changed everything. He took full responsibility for the fumble that cost his team the game.
The fumble happened in the fourth quarter during an important play. Baker Mayfield tried to hand the ball to wide receiver Jalen McMillan, but it slipped from his hands. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner successfully intercepted the ball at the Buccaneers’ 13-yard line. This turnover helped Washington score a touchdown and take a short-lived lead.
In the post-game interview, Mayfield talked about the fumble, saying, “Yeah, it comes back to me just timing it up correctly. First one of the year that happened on, so obviously the timing of it, not great. Being backed up, defense had just done a hell of a job getting us the ball. Another fourth down stop, and, yeah, unfortunate, but that falls on me.”
Even though Mayfield completed 15 of 18 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, his fumble took away from his great performance. The Buccaneers’ offense couldn’t score again, only getting a field goal to tie the game before time ran out.
Head coach reflects on Baker Mayfield’s fumble
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 23-20 to the Washington Commanders in the wild-card playoffs, head coach Todd Bowles praised quarterback Baker Mayfield. Even though the season ended with the loss because of Mayfield’s fumble in the last minute, Bowles emphasized how important Mayfield was to the team’s playoff journey.
Todd Bowles: We wouldn’t be here without Baker Mayfield
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) January 13, 2025
Bowles said, “We wouldn’t be here without Baker Mayfield. Nothing to say to him. He’s your bell cow. When your bell cow takes a shot and something goes wrong, you got to live with that. They’re human. We are going to make mistakes. He got us here. We wouldn’t even be here without Baker, so really nothing to say to him.”
