Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a 44-32 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, with the quarterback admitting his side didn't make enough plays to win the game
05:17 ET, 18 Nov 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Buffalo Bills - NFL 2025
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Bills QB Josh Allen accounted for six total touchdowns(Image: Getty)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield found some silver linings in his team's 44-32 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, though he acknowledged they fell short when it mattered most.
The Bucs' (6-4) position at the top of the NFC South is suddenly under threat following a third defeat in four games, with division rivals the Carolina Panthers (6-5) breathing down their necks.
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Bills quarterback Josh Allen accounted for six total touchdowns in Sunday's high-scoring affair, outdoing Tampa running back Sean Tucker, who reached the end zone three times. The contest featured nine lead changes overall. "I think the fight was there, the toughness," Mayfield said. "Just came down to not making enough plays.
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"That's one of those things that come out of this game really disappointed because guys fought hard.
New England Patriots v Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFL 2025
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Baker Mayfield is has won 25 of his 44 regular season starts as Buccaneers quarterback(Image: Getty)
"Thought there were great plays within the game, throughout the game, but you really got to look at the tape to look at what really got us beat," Mayfield continued.
"Got to figure that out, be extremely critical, and that's because we want to be a great team and we want to be a great offense.
"Definitely a lot more points on the board for us today."
The Buccaneers opened the campaign 5-1 and were viewed as overwhelming favorites to capture the NFC South for a fifth consecutive season,reports the Express US.
However, defeats to the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and Bills have placed Todd Bowles' team in a challenging position, particularly with a road matchup against the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams looming in Week 12.
Despite the Bucs' impressive 32-point performance in Buffalo, Mayfield only managed to throw for a mere 173 yards, marking his third-lowest passing yard total this season, along with a single touchdown and an interception.
The Tampa quarterback did manage to record his first rushing touchdown of the season, but the most notable offensive contributions came from second-year running back Tucker, who racked up 106 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards, and three touchdowns.
The division title is likely to be decided by the two remaining games between the Buccaneers and Panthers this season.
The Bucs are set to visit Carolina in Week 16 before Mayfield and his crew host the final game in Week 18, which could potentially be a winner-takes-all showdown.
It's worth mentioning that the Bucs could see the return of several key offensive starters before these crucial games, including running back Bucky Irving and wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
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These players, who were expected to make significant contributions, have been absent from Tampa's offense for much of the 2025 season.