Through the first two weeks of the season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield looked like a MVP contender through the early season. Mayfield and the Buccaneers got off to a hot start to the season with an opening week victory against the Washington Commanders. Mayfield went 24/30 on the day with 289 yards and four touchdowns, with two of those touchdowns going to Mike Evans.
Mayfield had a tough go of it in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, going only 12/19 for less than 200 yards and only one touchdown. He was able to connect with wide receiver Chris Godwin on seven passes for 117 yards and the only touchdown of the day for Mayfield. More important than the stats, though, was the win over one of the NFL’s toughest teams in Detroit.
The struggles for Mayfield continued in Week 3, as the Buccaneers dropped their first game of the season to the Denver Broncos, in rather surprising fashion. The Buccaneers only scored seven points, losing to Denver 26-7, with Mayfield going 25/33, once again throwing for less than 200 yards, and just one touchdown – again to Chris Godwin.
The back-to-back rough weeks have Mayfield plummeting down quarterback power rankings. Mayfield was a borderline top-10 quarterback, despite a tough Week 2, in CBS Sports’ NFL analyst Cody Benjamin’s last power rankings. This week, after another poor performance, Mayfield has dropped five spots and out of the top 15.
Coming in at 16, Mayfield is just one spot ahead of another NFC South quarterback who struggled in Week 3, New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr. Mayfield looks to get back on track this week against another tough NFC opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. If Mayfield is going to get back on track, he’s going to need to reconnect with Evans. After 61 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, Evans has had just 59 yards and no touchdowns the following two weeks.
Through three weeks, Evans is only on pace for 680 yards, far below the 1,000+ pace Evans has put up every season of his career to this point. That connection needs to get back on the same page if the Buccaneers are going to be a factor in an NFC South that is up for grabs early in the season.
