The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped a 28-23 decision at home to the New England Patriots on Sunday in a battle of first-place teams. The game essentially came down to a failed fourth-down attempt just after the two-minute warning, with the Buccaneers trailing by five and looking to add yet another rousing comeback win to their 2025 totals. One could call it a very close outcome between two strong playoff contenders, but quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn't looking for any silver linings after the game.
He does think it should be a motivating factor for the stretch run.
"Offensively, I am hoping our guys do get pissed off about this," said Mayfield. "This isn't the end of our season, I know that, we still have very important games ahead of us, but games like this when you don't win them -- it should sting, it should really hurt."
The Buccaneers were rested coming out of their bye week and felt like they had a good game plan in place against a Patriots' defense that ranked first in rushing yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. And, indeed, Mayfield drove the Buccaneers down the field on a nearly flawless opening drive, using six plays to gain 65 yards, ending in a 21-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers' next three drives produced a total of 32 yards and two first downs and the Bucs went into halftime trailing 14-10.
"Like I said, [it was a] lack of execution," said Mayfield. "There is a certain point -- we are a good team, but to be great, when you score on the opening drive, you know what it looks like, you set the tone, you're not satisfied with it. You come back and in your head, it's 0-0 and you go do it again. Right now, I think we are lacking that on offense and it comes down to me -- that is my job to get that fixed and I will do that."
While Mayfield appeared to be stressing a message he had already shared with his teammates moments before, he also repeatedly stressed that he was aiming that message at himself, as well. He was particularly unhappy with a seven-yard completion to tight end Cade Otton just before the two-minute warning as the Bucs were trying to turn a 21-16 deficit into a comeback win. The catch put the Bucs in a third-and-three and they would then fail to convert on the next two snaps; Mayfield thought it shouldn't have come down to that.
"Case in point, it starts with me; [I missed] some throws there that I would like to have back, some more completions," he said. "The low ball that I gave Cade towards the end there, if I would have stuck it on his chest, he probably would have gotten the first down, instead of having to get into a short yardage situation. It starts with me, but everybody has got to have pride about it too."
After the loss, the Bucs are 6-3 and in first place in the NFC South by 1.5 games over the Carolina Panthers. There is obviously no reason to panic and a lot of football still to be played. Mayfield just wants his team to learn the proper lesson from Sunday's loss.
"We just have to look at the things we did well, continue that, continue – like, 'How did that happen?'" he said. "It is probably attitude, effort and just execution, then when you look at the stuff that went wrong, it is probably the opposite of that. If we can be consistent on that and hyperfocus on each play at a time, we are going to be fine, but that has just got to change."
