The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rolling, and Baker Mayfield has a legitimate case to be considered a frontrunner for the NFL MVP trophy.
The Buccaneers improved to 4-1 after a thrilling shootout with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. Mayfield outdueled Sam Darnold in a clash of 2018 NFL Draft top five quarterbacks.
Mayfield finished with a career day passing the football. He had 379 passing yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-33 passing. He also rushed the football five times for 15 yards.
Since arriving in Tampa Bay, Mayfield has completely turned his career around. The Buccaneers needed a quarterback to pivot off of Tom Brady retiring. Just a few seasons later, it’s Mayfield that has the Buccaneers looking like a serious contender in the NFC.
Before the season, Mayfield was +2500 to win MVP on FanDuel Sportsbook. In just five games, his odds have already surged to +1300. He’s surpassed quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Jared Goff.
While Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love stand in front of Mayfield to win MVP this season, the Buccaneers quarterback should be worth a real look.
He has four game-winning drives this season already in games where Tampa Bay was tied or trailing. He has 1,283 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception.
Comparatively, Love has 1,000 passing yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. Mahomes has 939 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception.
Earlier this season, Mayfield dealt with the loss of future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans like a franchise quarterback would. First-round rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka has turned into a reliable option, already outpacing expectations for his first season. The young wideout has caught 18 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns to start his NFL career.
There’s no denying that Mayfield’s journey was much more unique than Allen, Mahomes and Love. The No. 1 overall pick flamed out with the Cleveland Browns and was traded to the Carolina Panthers where his career was on life support. Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams gave Mayfield one more shot at life in the NFL, where he was able to provide a spark and land in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield fits Tampa Bay’s organization like a glove. He’s experienced enough to appeal to the veterans on the roster and make them feel comfortable that he can lead them to the promised land. At 30 years old, Mayfield can also relate to the younger players and help them develop.
There’s still plenty of football left to play. Mayfield’s heroics will need to continue. Or arguably more importantly, the Buccaneers will need to play complimentary football so he’s not always forced to play Superman at the end.
As long as his production continues and interceptions stay down, Mayfield will have a serious case to take home the MVP.
This news was originally published on this post .
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