The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a damaging loss to the Los Angeles Rams and could now be without their starting quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder sprain during Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after the game.
The Buccaneers fell to 6-5 with a tough 34-7 loss to the now 9-2 Rams, a game in which Mayfield did not play the second half.
Mayfield remained down after attempting a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, after being examined following his second-quarter touchdown to Tez Johnson.
Teddy Bridgewater played in relief of Mayfield, who will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury.
“Right now he’s dealing with a shoulder sprain,” Bowles said in his postgame press conference. “He will have an MRI tomorrow [Monday].
Bridgewater was eight of 15 for 62 yards as he threw NFL passes for the first time since the 2022 season.
The Buccaneers are now in a precarious position, with the loss tying them with the Carolina Panthers, who face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, for first place in the NFC South.
But Bowles has confidence in Bridgewater’s ability to guide the offense and ensure Tampa Bay’s playoff push stays on track, even if Mayfield has to miss several weeks.
“He knows what to do,” Bowles added of Bridgewater. “Obviously we have to protect him a lot better. It’s not the ideal situation when they have a big lead and they have their ears stuck on every play. But he played well under pressure.
“Teddy will play if [Mayfield is] absent for some time. Obviously, we will mention Connor [Bazelak] Since [the practice squad] and we’ll go from there.
“Very confident in what Teddy can do with a full week of practice, taking every snap and every play. We think he’ll be fine.”
Stafford destroys the Buccaneers
The Rams solidified their status as Super Bowl favorites by dismantling the Bucs. They occupy the sole seed in the NFC after the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
Matthew Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, strengthening his case and winning the MVP award for the first time in his career.
Speculation about an impending retirement has constantly swirled around Stafford over the past few years, and he entered this season following well-documented back issues that saw him miss much of the Rams’ offseason program.
Still, at 37, he’s playing arguably the best football of his career, and head coach Sean McVay sees no reason why Stafford should consider hanging up his cleats anytime soon.
“It’s a good wine. It gets better with age,” McVay said. “I think he’ll play for about 10 more years.”
Stafford was serenaded with MVP chants from the home crowd at SoFi Stadium and Davante Adams, who caught two touchdown passes against the Buccaneers, also endorsed his signal-caller for the award.
“He plays like the most valuable player in the league,” Adams said.
“You can see it in the numbers, in the way he takes command of the group and the offense, in the way he and Sean put things together and work together throughout the week to create a good product for us. Simply put.
“I mean, he’s a great leader and he obviously knows how to score points and get this offense going.”
Stafford, however, isn’t thinking about his future or any accolades.
“I’m not trying to label it, I just know I’m having fun. My body feels pretty good right now,” Stafford said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Stafford could do the Buccaneers a favor in Week 13 when they face the Panthers. Tampa Bay is hoping for an easier time when it returns home to face the Arizona Cardinals.
