The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams, and now they may be without their starting quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder during Los Angeles’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after the game.
The Buccaneers fell to 6-5 with a heavy 34-7 loss to the 9-2 Rams, a game in which Mayfield may not have played the second half.
Mayfield sat down after attempting a Mary man at the end of the first half, as it was previously tested after following his second TountWountdown throw to Tez Johnson.
Teddy Bridgewater was played for Mayfield, who was scheduled for further scans to determine the severity of the injury.
“He’s got a grain of salt on his shoulder right now,” Corps said in the post-game press conference. “He’s getting an MRI tomorrow [Monday].
Bridgewater went 8-for-62 as he threw his first NFL touchdown pass since the 2022 season.
The Buccaneers are now in a unique position, with the win putting them level with the Carolina Panthers, who face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, for first in the NFC South.
But the pros have faith in Bridgewater’s ability to direct the offense and make sure the Tampa Bay Playoffs stay on track even if Mayfield has to miss weeks.
“He knows what to do,” Bridgewater added. “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] some time. Obviously, we will bring Consor [Bazelak] from the [the practice squad] and we will go from there.
“A lot of confidence in what Teddy does with a full week of practice, taking every snap and every play. We think he’s going to be fine.”
Stafford Shreds Buccaneers
The Rams solidified their status as super bowl favorites by eliminating the Bucs. They sit in the one seed in the NFC behind the Philadelphia Eagles who lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
Matthew Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, continuing his charge to win the MVP award for the first time in his career.
Speculation of an impending retirement has swirled around Stafford consistently over the past few years, and he entered this season after well-documented back issues that saw him miss the Rams’ regular season.
Still, he’s playing the best football of his 37-year-old career, and head coach Sean Mcvay has no reason why Stafford should be looking to hang up his cleats anytime soon.
“He’s a great wine. He just gets better with age,” Mcvay said. “I think he will play another 10 years.”
Stafford was sent MVP chants by the home crowd in Sofi Adadium and Davante Adams, who caught two touchdowns against the Buccaneers, and they woke up his signal driver.
“He’s playing like the most important player in the league,” Adams said.
“You can see it in the numbers, the way he started the pull order and the offense, the way he and Sean came together and worked all week together to put together a good product for us. All in all.
“I mean, he’s a great leader and he obviously knows how to put points on the board and keep this offense going.”
However, Stafford is not thinking about his future or accolades.
“I’m not trying to put it on, I just know I’m happy. My body feels good right now,” Stafford said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Stafford could make the Buccaneers the favorite in Week 13 against the Panthers. Tampa Bay will be hoping for good timing as they return home to take on the Arizona Cardinals.
