Baker Mayfield’s made big plays for the Buccaneers all season.
But none quite like this.
The Tampa Bay quarterback, who threw a career-best 41 touchdowns during the regular season, got the job done with his feet on Sunday while delivering punishment to multiple Commanders defenders. As the Commanders led their wild-card game 10-3 in the second quarter, the Buccaneers faced third-and-9 from their own 27-yard line with 1:18 left before halftime.
Washington’s secondary left Mayfield without throwing options, so Mayfield took off up the middle of the field. Three Commanders converged on Mayfield before he reached the line of gain. None of them made the first-down saving tackle.
Safety Percy Butler and defensive end Dorance Armstrong sandwiched Mayfield from opposite sides of the field as linebacker Bobby Wagner met him head-on. Mayfield shed Armstrong and sent Wagner barreling backward with his shoulder as he ran past the line to gain.
Butler recovered to get a grasp on Mayfield and eventually dragged him to the ground. But not before Mayfield had logged a 18-yard gain and a first down.
Mayfield is 6-1 and 215 pounds. Wagner is 6 feet tall and weighs 240 pounds. And he’s an 11-time All-Pro, including this season. Mayfield won this battle, hands down.
Five plays later, Mayfield found Mike Evans in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
Without Mayfield’s first-down run, the Bucs would have faced a likely punting scenario that would have given the Commanders the ball back with more than a minute on the first-half clock and a chance to extend a 10-3 lead. Instead, the Bucs went into halftime with the game tied at 10-10.
