Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury in the first half of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football
21:13 ET, 24 Nov 2025
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaves the field after his team was defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the game at SoFi Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have received a promising Baker Mayfield injury update(Image: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their fourth defeat in five games on Sunday, getting crushed 34-7 by the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football to fall into a deadlock for first place in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers' downward spiral took another devastating hit with concerns over starting quarterback Baker Mayfield's health. The 30-year-old signal-caller sat out the entire second half after sustaining a shoulder injury in the opening period. He was spotted on the Tampa Bay sideline during the third quarter with his arm in a sling.
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Mayfield, who kicked off the 2025 season as a serious MVP contender, appeared headed for a lengthy absence. But encouraging injury news on Monday has even generated whispers that he could take the field next week against the Arizona Cardinals.
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On Monday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport revealed that Mayfield sustained a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder on Sunday. A source told Rapoport that the news was "as good as anyone could hope."
Mayfield is believed to have suffered no further structural damage, and earlier on Monday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said it's "too early to tell" if the former No. 1 overall pick will be available next week.
Mayfield headed into the blue medical tent after guiding Tampa Bay on a second-quarter scoring drive that trimmed Los Angeles's early advantage to 21-7.
He came back for the team's following possession but appeared to seriously injure his arm while attempting a Hail Mary as the first half clock ran out. Backup Teddy Bridgewater stepped in from that point forward.
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"I mean, when he goes out [of the game], he's obviously really hurt because he's a tough guy," Bowles said Monday.
"When he went in the tent, you could see it on his face when he came off the field, you kind of knew something happened right there."
Mayfield's showing was undoubtedly his most disappointing of the campaign. He managed to complete only nine of his 19 attempts for one touchdown and two picks.
This season, he has connected on 62.7 percent of his throws for 2,406 yards with an 18-5 touchdown-interception ratio.
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Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton, who fumbled a catch in the opening half that resulted in a turnover, praised his wounded signal-caller during an exclusive conversation with Mirror U.S. Sports.
"Yeah, I mean, he's our leader," Otton said.
"And it sucks to see him hurt and any of our teammates hurt. But we always have the 'Next man up' mentality. And we'll go from there and, you know, be there for him as he recovers, however long it takes."