Do you remember that feeling when your check engine light comes on while driving down the highway? That is what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are experiencing now. There were all of the warning signs early on. But nobody wanted to pull off to the side of the road. Baker Mayfield stepped before a horde of reporters on Wednesday, explaining what exactly is going wrong.
The season began as bright as a Florida summer afternoon: warm, sunny, and full of possibilities. The Buccaneers sprinted to a 5-1 start. The fans had already begun making plans for the playoffs. Some even went so far as to clear their schedules in January. Oh man, how we all misjudged how quickly things could turn.
Baker Mayfield Blames Little Things
Mayfield finally identified the reason for the mid-season slump during the Week 13 walkthrough on Wednesday. He attributed the slump to “the little things,” saying that the Buccaneers were no longer executing well. Mayfield stated, “We did a lot of the little things right early on in the year, especially on offense.” He added, “Whether it was two-minute drives, whatever it took to win the game, we were executing at the right time when we needed it.”
An injured Baker Mayfield believes it's the 'little things' that Tampa Bay keeps getting wrong as a 5-1 start slides into a 6-5 misery. pic.twitter.com/kLZyeLvYq1
— Gourab Saha (@gourabsaha666) November 27, 2025
Los Angeles was able to build a 21-0 lead. The first half of the game was just… disappointing and surreal. At the end of that half, the score read 31-7. The Buccaneers simply stopped performing the fundamentals. They got close to conceding their largest halftime deficit since 2022.
Mayfield suffered a left shoulder injury. He hurt it after throwing a touchdown pass to Tez Johnson. What should have been a celebratory moment turned into a yellow flag. Mayfield played two more series. During those series, he threw two short passes for eight yards. Then came the Hail Mary attempt at the end of the half. Mayfield fell awkwardly. The risk was unnecessary given the Rams were so far ahead. But yeah, a 28-7 deficit required additional heroics.
Defense Collapses and Todd Bowles’ Job Security
The Rams put together a 34-point outing. They were moving the ball like it was a Sunday drive. Bowles’ defense surrendered four touchdown passes at Seattle earlier this year. They gave up 44 points at Buffalo. Meanwhile, the playoff numbers paint a different picture.
The New York Times simulation gives Tampa Bay a 78% chance to make the playoffs. The division odds are 77%. So how does this happen? The NFC South is a clown car of mediocrity. Carolina’s quarterback play against San Francisco was ugly. Their loss indirectly helped Tampa Bay move up the standings. Sometimes you win without even playing.
There is still some hope on the schedule. Arizona comes in next week with only three wins. New Orleans follows them at 2-9. Teddy Bridgewater may be the starting quarterback. The running game will be huge. Josh Grizzard must call better plays. The defense must stop giving away touchdowns. Week 18 will essentially decide everything against Carolina.
Legacy planning counts in football, too. The Glazers extended Bowles through 2028. He was chosen over Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen. Three consecutive division titles earned goodwill. Jon Gruden needed seven seasons to do the same thing. History can be cruel. It can also be repetitive. Bowles needs to finish. If Tampa Bay gets 10 wins, Bowles is safe. If the Bucs get eight or nine wins, it may spark another “decade of darkness”—a scenario nobody wants to relive.
Tampa Bay sits at a crossroads. The injuries are mounting. Several key players have disappeared. The excuses keep piling up like dirty laundry. Baker Mayfield’s shoulder will heal. But the little things? They must be fixed first. Tampa Bay has control over its own destiny. For now. And they must make it count.
Main Photo: [Jayne Kamin-Oncea] – Imagn Images
