The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a damaging defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, and now could be without their starting quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder sprain in Sunday’s defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after the game.
The Buccaneers dropped to 6-5 with a heavy 34-7 defeat to the now 9-2 Rams, a game in which Mayfield did not play the second half.
Mayfield stayed down after attempting a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, having earlier been examined following his second-quarter touchdown throw to Tez Johnson.
Teddy Bridgewater played in relief of Mayfield, who is set for further scans to determine the severity of the injury.
“Right now he has a shoulder sprain,” Bowles said in his post-game press conference. “He’ll get an MRI tomorrow [Monday].
Bridgewater went eight of 15 for 62 yards as he threw NFL passes for the first time since the 2022 season.
The Buccaneers are now in a precarious position, with the defeat putting them level with the Carolina Panthers, who face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, for first place in the NFC South.
But Bowles has faith in Bridgewater’s ability to guide the offense and ensure Tampa Bay’s playoff push stays on track even if Mayfield has to miss multiple weeks.
“He knows what to do,” Bowles added of Bridgewater. “Obviously, we’ve got to protect him a lot better. Not the ideal situation to be in when they’ve got a big lead and they’ve got their ears pinned back every play. But he performed well under pressure.
“Teddy will play if [Mayfield is] out for some time. Obviously, we’ll bring up Connor [Bazelak] from [the practice squad] and we’ll go from there.
“Very confident in what Teddy can do with a full week of practice, taking every snap and every play. We think he’ll be fine.”
Stafford shreds Buccaneers
The Rams solidified their status as Super Bowl favourites by dismantling the Bucs. They occupy the one seed in the NFC following the Philadelphia Eagles’ defeat to the Dallas Cowboys.
Matthew Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, furthering his case to win the MVP award for the first time in his career.
Speculation of impending retirement has swirled around Stafford consistently over the last few years, and he entered this season on the back of well-documented back issues that saw him miss much of the Rams’ offseason program.
Yet he is playing arguably the best football of his career at the age of 37, and head coach Sean McVay sees no reason why Stafford should consider hanging up the cleats anytime soon.
“He’s a fine wine. He’s just getting better with age,” McVay said. “I think he’s going to play for about 10 more years.”
Stafford was serenaded with MVP chants by the home crowd at SoFi Stadium and, Davante Adams, who caught two touchdown passes against the Buccaneers, also endorsed his signal-caller for the award.
“He’s playing like the most valuable player in the league,” Adams said.
“You can see it in the numbers, the way he’s taking command of the huddle and the offense, the way him and Sean put things together and work throughout the week together to put together a good product for us. Just all around.
“I mean, he’s a great leader and obviously knows how to put points on the board and keep this offense moving.”
Stafford, though, is not thinking about his future or any accolades.
“I’m not trying to label it, I just know I’m having fun. My body feels pretty good at the moment,” Stafford said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Stafford could do the Buccaneers a favour in Week 13 when they face the Panthers. Tampa Bay will hope for an easier time of it as they return home to take on the Arizona Cardinals.
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