Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield was dealing in the first half against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
This 10-yard TD pass to WR Jalen McMillan extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 27-7 with 1:11 remaining in the half and gave Mayfield his third TD of the half.
Prior to that, Mayfield connected with WR Mike Evans for his other two TDs, including this toss to the corner of the end zone that gave the Buccaneers a 20-7 lead about midway through the second quarter.
Overall, Mayfield was 16-of-20 for 225 yards and three TDs in the first half. Despite injuries to key players throughout the season, Mayfield has excelled in spite of the adversity.
Coming into Week 17, Mayfield had 10 games with multiple TDs this season. His 34 TD passes ranked third in the NFL while his 3,920 passing yards were sixth.
After a costly loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, the Buccaneers need to win their final two games against the Panthers and New Orleans Saints and hope for at least one loss from the Atlanta Falcons to ensure an NFC South title. Given Mayfield’s first half performance against Carolina and New Orleans’ struggles, the road to a division title may come down to what the Falcons do over their final two games.
With nothing guaranteed, Mayfield’s brilliant first half should give the organization and its fans some confidence.
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