Baker Mayfield Under Duress
June 23rd, 2026
Excelled under pressure.
There is only one conclusion Joe can reach armed with these stats and knowing how poorly Baker Mayfield played after the bye last year.
He was hurt.
As we all know, Mayfield was a legit candidate for Offensive Player of the Year for putting the Bucs on his back as the team jumped out to a 6-2 record last season.
Then came the bye. As good as Mayfield was before the bye, he was that mediocre after it – at best.
Why?
Well, the shambles that was the Bucs’ offensive line did Mayfield in, Joe thought. The line led to Mayfield getting beat up.
Not so fast.
Per Tony Holzman-Escareno, a senior researcher with the NFL Mayfield was one of the best quarterbacks in the league last year when under pressure, per NextGen Stats. Only two quarterbacks (Drake Maye and Justin Herbert) produced more first downs and touchdowns (a touchdown also is considered a first down) than Mayfield when pressured
What happens when an offensive line is ravaged by injuries? The quarterback usually faces pressure. But per NextGen Stats, Mayfield did very well under pressure.
So what happened with Mayfield? After reading Holzman-Escareno’s research, it’s clear to Joe Mayfield was too hurt later in the season to consistently make enough plays for the Bucs to win.