Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was not having any of it during his meet-and-greet with reporters on Wednesday ahead of their NFL Playoff game against the Detroit Lions this weekend.
The likely NFL Comebacker Player of the Year was asked about comments from Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson regarding Buccaneers quarterback play in which his opponent seemingly trolled him.
“This group probably is one of the better groups we done faced all year, besides that Tampa group. If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a great group. Evans, Godwin, [Russell] Gage, that’s a great group. I played against them for real,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters earlier in the week, via ESPN.
Mayfield’s response was on point.
“I don’t think he’s really watched film because he mentioned Russell Gage. We love Russell but Russell hasn’t played a snap all year for us,” Mayfield said.
Indeed. Gage suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp practice back in August. He has not played a single snap for the Buccaneers on the campaign.
Gardner-Johnson’s broader point also doesn’t make much sense given how well Mayfield has played in his first season with the Buccaneers. In last week’s blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs, the former No. 1 pick completed 22-of-36 passes for 337 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 32-9 victory.
In fact, Mayfield compared favorably to Gardner-Johnson’s own quarterback with Detroit during the regular season.
- Baker Mayfield stats (2023): 64% completion, 4,044 yards, 28 TD, 10 INT, 94.5 QB rating
- Jared Goff stats (2023): 67% completion, 4,575 yards, 30 TD, 12 INT, 97.9 QB rating
This will be settled on the field Sunday afternoon inside Detroit’s Ford Field. Fresh off their first playoff win since 1991, the Lions are set to host Tampa Bay with a spot in the NFC Championship Game on the line. Detroit finds itself as 6.5-point favorites.