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BY IRA KAUFMAN
Tom Brady came close, but no Buccaneer player has ever been voted league MVP. It may be time to change that narrative.
Week 5 isn’t completely in the books yet, but Baker Mayfield is making a compelling case for the NFL’s most coveted individual award. Yes, he did it again.
For the fourth time in five games, Mayfield led a scintillating comeback in the late stages as Tampa Bay outlasted Seattle 38-35 in a matchup long on drama and incredibly short on defense.
The Seahawks hadn’t allowed that many points in a 60-minute home game since Dec. 17, 2017, eight days after Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy.
Mayfield ended up outdueling Sam Darnold on a day the two combined for 67 pass attempts and only 10 incompletions.
For the season, Mayfield is completing 65 percent of his throws for 1,283 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one pick. He scrambles effectively, is adept at buying time in the pocket and has taken only nine sacks.
The Bucs needed Mayfield at his best Sunday because Tampa Bay’s defense was awful in the second half. Seattle scored 28 points and rolled up 311 yards after trailing 13-7 at intermission.
But Mayfield, down two starting offensive linemen, a Hall of Fame receiver and his best running back, kept firing away at the league’s No. 2 scoring defense. A last-minute pick by Lavonte David set up Chase McLaughlin’s game-winning FG, but make no mistake — this was a game Mayfield simply would not let the Bucs lose.
He had some help as Emeka Egbuka was spectacular, catching all 7 of his targets for 163 yards. Fellow rookie Tez Johnson added four receptions for 59 yards and Cade Otton came up big with four catches for 81 yards.
The Bucs are now 3-0 on the road heading into Sunday’s home matchup against the 4-1 49ers. You can only imagine the jubilation aboard that cross-country flight back to Tampa.
That wide smile on the face of Todd Bowles as he walked across Lumen Field said it all. Here’s how the Bucs overcame a flurry of missed tackles and busted coverages to win a thrilling shootout:
* Give it up for new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who called a good game against a good defense. He ran the ball just enough to keep Seattle guessing, even though the Bucs averaged only 2.3 yards per carry. “They did a good job of scheming stuff open,” said Seattle coach Mike Macdonald.
Rachaad White
* David’s interception probably doesn’t happen without the massive pressure applied by a blitzing Antoine Winfield Jr., who got in Darnold’s grill just as he was releasing the ball. Bowles said he was saving that defensive call all day. It was worth the wait.
* Rachaad White gained only 41 yards in 14 attempts filling in for injured Bucky Irving, but he scored twice, caught four passes for an additional 30 yards and ran for a key first down that allowed Tampa Bay to drain the clock before McLaughlin’s winning kick. White’s rushing stats were deceiving. Seattle blew up a third-quarter swing pass to White for an eight-yard loss, but it technically was a run because the throw was backwards. Without that, White had 13 carries for 49 yards.
* Ever since Egbuka became a Buccaneer, we’ve heard constant comparisons to Chris Godwin in terms of his route running, hands and toughness. It’s very early in his pro career, but Egbuka now looks like the second coming of Hall of Famer Paul Warfield. He’s wrecking opposing defenses with smooth slants and deep balls, averaging 17.8 yards per catch.
* Seattle didn’t block any kicks on Sunday and McLaughlin was his customarily steady self, but the kickoff coverage was atrocious. Dareke Young returned five kicks for 154 yards, so Thomas McGaughey has some more work to do this week.
* The Buc defense had no answers for most of the day against a pedestrian attack. Darnold led five consecutive TD drives before David’s critical interception. Bowles tried an array of blitzes, but Darnold often had enough time in the pocket to order halibuts from Pike Place Market. Let’s just say Haason Reddick is off to a rather benign start as an edge rusher.
* With Jamel Dean and Benjamin Morrison sidelined, rookie Jacob Parrish made his first pro start. He opened at cornerback opposite Zyon McCollum. Parrish made a few plays but was also victimized a few times by stud wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 8-of-9 targets for 132 yards and a touchdown.
MVP?
* How focused is Mayfield? The Seahawks had just executed a 99-yard drive to grab a 35-28 lead with 3:18 remaining. It looked like a kill shot but Mayfield needed only five plays to guide Tampa Bay 70 yards for the tying score. He opened with a 25-yard strike to Otton and capped the drive with an 11-yard TD flip to Sterling Shepard, craftily buying enough time for Shepard to break loose.
* Tykee Smith turned in a big play by jumping on a loose ball when the Seahawks tried to get too cute in the second quarter, setting up White’s 7-yard TD dash for a 13-0 advantage.
* Cardiac Bucs. That’s what Graham Barton dubbed his team coming off the field against the Jets two weeks ago. The label still applies. Tampa Bay’s four wins have come by a combined nine points and Mayfield is the clear-cut catalyst. It’s hard to imagine another NFL player more essential to his team’s success so far in 2025. League MVP? Don’t snicker. If the season ended today, he’d have my vote.