The Bucs, led by Baker Mayfield, needed all eighteen weeks to win the NFC South, but they won a wild-card game on Monday night by defeating the Eagles in just one quarter thanks to enough points scored.
Mayfield hopes that one of his next opponent’s famous members will take longer than that to examine the film. Before their Divisional Round matchup in Detroit, Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson took a jab at Mayfield, admiring the quarterback’s array of receivers while also putting in a dig.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Gardner-Johnson stated, “Aside from that Tampa group, this group is probably one of the better groups we done faced all year.” “That Tampa club is excellent if they have a strong quarterback. What a fantastic group—[Mike] Evans, [Chris] Godwin, and [Russell] Gage. I engaged in serious play against them.”
Since arriving in 2023, Mayfield has naturally fought off comparisons to Tom Brady and made it clear that he wouldn’t aim to emulate the renowned quarterback. Brady wasn’t specifically mentioned by Gardner-Johnson in his reaction, but it’s obvious he was attempting to irritate Mayfield, even though the rookie quarterback is having the best season of his career in his first year with the Bucs.
Never one to back down from a verbal duel, Gardner-Johnson’s factual mistake was brought to Mayfield’s attention on Wednesday.
“I don’t think he’s really watched film because he mentioned Russell Gage,” Mayfield said, according to ESPN, regarding the Buccaneers wide out who has been sidelined since training camp. “We love Russell but Russell hasn’t played a snap all year for us.”
Mayfield could have used his stats, which made him the first quarterback in Buccaneers history to throw for three touchdowns and more yards in a playoff game during Tampa Bay’s victory over Philadelphia, as evidence that he is capable of being the quarterback Gardner-Johnson had in mind for the Bucs. In the end, though, he would rather to let his play speak for itself in a contest that Mayfield is hoping Gardner-Johnson will be better prepared for.
“He must be going off of preseason stuff that the media was talking about,” Mayfield stated. I can’t wait to see him. He’s an extremely good player, in my opinion. He has for some time now. Every team he has played for has benefited from having him. He’s a talented player, but he still needs to watch a little bit more film.
As Steve Smith once said, “Son, ice up.” Or, as Mayfield said on Wednesday, C.J., get studying.
With a season’s worth of output in 2023 that includes 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, both of which rank in the top nine among all eligible NFL quarterbacks, Mayfield’s confidence is reinforced. He hopes to support it with another strong performance, one that could put a definite stop to this conversation.
