Sad play.
Joe read something last night seemingly terribly unfair about Baker Mayfield, albeit accurate.
When it comes to official NFL stats and NFL history, Mayfield threw his first pick-six in a Bucs uniform Sunday night. But in Joe’s mind, that was not a pick-six.
Mayfield threw a pass near midfield to Cade Otton, who tried to imitate O.J. Howard imitating Magic Johnson. Sort of.
(And Magic performed his magic at the famed Los Angeles Forum, which still stands across the parking lot from SoFi Stadium.)
Anyone remember when Howard once caught a pass and was about to go in for a touchdown when he started bobbling the ball and tried a Magic Johnson routine, switching hands with the ball behind his back? Howard tried that stunt and he fumbled. Naturally.
Well, Otton had his hands on Mayfield’s pass and bobbled it and bobbled it and then got both hands on the ball and Rams defender Cobie Durant ripped the ball out of Otton’s hands and housed it for a 50-yard pick-six?
Well, it really wasn’t a pick-six. That was a fumble. But the play was labeled a pick-six and guess who wiggles off the hook and guess who gets the blame?
That play really frosted Joe. It should have been secured by Otton. At worst, he should have hung onto the ball when it first hit his hands.
Later when Tez Johnson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield, Rams cornerback Darious Williams tried to rip the ball out of Johnson’s hands but Johnson hung on.
Lil’ ol’ Tez Johnson can secure the ball but big ol’ Cade Otton can’t?
That “fumble” by Otton was the whole game wrapped up in one play.
Joe sure hopes that Otton play doesn’t go down like Howard’s, a highlight of one of the worst seasons in Bucs history and emblematic of the Lost Decade.
COBIE DURANT STEALS THE BALL FOR THE RETURN TD.
TBvsLAR on NBC
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— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025