The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have flown a bit under the radar dating back to the offseason, but they hold a 4-1 record, and it is getting to the point where more people across the NFL need to pay attention to them.
They’re getting some excellent play from rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and second-year running back Bucky Irving is also carrying lots of weight. While they have issues to clean up on defense, quarterback Baker Mayfield is once again playing at a high level.
Through five games, he has thrown for 1,283 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s tied for the third-most passing touchdowns and is fourth in passing yards and ninth in passer rating so far this season.
Rich Eisen made a bold statement on his eponymous show by saying that right now, Mayfield is on his way to winning the regular-season MVP award.
“Baker Mayfield at 4-1, 100% is in line to be MVP of this league, and you could make the case through five weeks he is that.”
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Eisen also pointed out how Mayfield played very well in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks despite not having Irving and veteran star wide receiver Mike Evans in action. The 30-year-old completed 29 of 33 passing attempts and finished with 379 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in a 38-35 win, making him the first QB in NFL history to throw for at least 375 yards with fewer than five incompletions in a regular-season game.
He has certainly come a long way from the player he was as a member of the Cleveland Browns when he was seen as immature and shaky in crunch time. He is now coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in which he had over 4,000 passing yards and at least 28 passing touchdowns.
In the next two weeks, Mayfield will have the opportunity to strengthen the claim that Eisen made. Tampa Bay will host the San Francisco 49ers, who are also 4-1 and are winning games with grit and resourcefulness, this Sunday. The following Monday, it will visit the Detroit Lions in what could be a playoff preview.
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Evans is expected to miss some more time due to a hamstring injury, and Irving may not return either this weekend due to shoulder and foot injuries.
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