Baker Mayfield Says Bucs ‘Locked In’ Despite 2-Game Losing Skid

Mayfield spoke to the team after their loss to the Patriots. Even though they lost to the Bills last week, the team is still locked in.

Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Nov. 16, 2025. Bryan M. Bennett /Getty Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield knows his team is locked in despite a two-game skid.

The Bucs dropped a heartbreaker to the New England Patriots two weeks ago, followed by a 12-point loss to the rebounding Buffalo Bills. With just a half-game lead in the division and a tight NFC Playoff race, those two losses loom large. With another tough test against the Los Angeles Rams coming up, Mayfield will need his teammates to be locked in.

It started after the loss to the Patriots. Trailing 21–16 going into the fourth quarter, the Bucs drove deep into New England territory at the 2-minute warning. But on a 4th and 3, the Patriots sent a 5-man pressure that got Mayfield for a sack. Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored a long touchdown run to put them up 28–16. Mayfield led a touchdown drive to bring the game within a score, but the Pats recovered the onside kick and ended the game.

Mayfield spoke to the team in the locker room, stressing the need for players to take pride and accountability in their performance.

“At some point when this stuff comes up during the week, whether it’s mistakes or things we talk about, and then it shows up on Sundays, you have to have some pride about you,” he said at the time. “You’ve got to have the fear of that failure, of messing up for your teammates when we talk about something. You’ve got to have that responsibility and accountability for the guys around you and get it fixed. In tight ball games like this, when you play a good team like the Patriots, little things will get you beat. And that was the case for us on offense today.”

Mayfield pointed to that fourth-down blitz as an example of what he was talking about. The defense attacked running back Rachaad White with a “hug” rush; he was supposed to run a route out of the backfield to force the safety into coverage, but he stayed in to protect the edge, and Mayfield got sacked.

The eight-year veteran said the team needs to be better at communicating, identifying pressures and stunts; he also took accountability for missing throws in key situations.

“[It’s] just a matter of execution,” he said. “Plays that we’ve run 100 times, plays that we’ve done well 100 times, coverages we’ve seen and repped these plays against, and just executing, and that’s what it comes down to ... translating from the practice field to the game field in critical moments, you have to do the little things right. It wasn’t like they showed us a pressure that we haven’t seen before, wasn’t a coverage we haven’t seen before. We just have to do our job at a very high level and do it well in those moments.”

A switch flipped for the offense in the week that followed. Mayfield noticed that even though the score did not indicate it, his team showed fight all the way through. The Bucs rushed for 202 yards and three TDs, while Baker added 173 passing yards and a touchdown against an interception and one sack.

“I think there was a difference mentally,” he said on Nov. 19. “Anytime you run the ball like that, guys are locked in. They’re doing their job. And that takes everybody, not just the O-line. Obviously, they played extremely well. ... I think the message was well received. We just obviously didn’t make enough plays when we needed to.”

There was also a difference emotionally, he noticed.

“Without a doubt the fight, the passion, the energy was there,” he said, reiterating that everybody was locked in despite the missed opportunities. “That’s the mentality we have to come out with: starting fast, being physical, especially on offense. But I think everybody was bought in on that one.”