Prior to the TNF kickoff, former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert released his top-five quarterback rankings through the season’s first month. But how the matchup progressed between the Falcons and the Bucs had Benkert rethinking his rankings.
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Benkert put Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow on his list, but left Bucs QB Baker Mayfield off of it.
Mayfield, who was a star for the Bucs last season, continued his trend in the first half of Thursday Night Football, completing 80% of his passes (12/15) for 131 yards and three touchdowns while taking his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 24-17 lead.
After Mayfield’s dominant opening quarters on Thursday, Benkert revealed he was one of the “few guys” he had considered for the No. 5 position:
I knew I should have put Baker over Joe
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) October 4, 2024
Benkert doubled down in another Twitter/X post moments later, saying Mayfield’s absence in his quintet was “on him”.
Mayfield’s electric start to the season has already propelled him into the early conversation for league MVP honors. Through four games and two quarters, he has thrown for 1,115 yards and registered 11 touchdowns.
Only Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has as many scoring passes as Mayfield so far this year.
Analysts across the NFL stratosphere have enjoyed seeing Mayfield find success in the league. His impressive play, both in 2023 and 2024, has even turned some of his haters into supporters.
Skip Bayless “loves watching Baker play quarterback”
One of the men who never left Mayfield’s corner is former ESPN and FOX Sports’ personality Skip Bayless.
Following Mayfield’s first half, Bayless professed a strong affinity for seeing the former Oklahoma Sooner star at the professional level.
BAKER! BAKER! BAKER! pic.twitter.com/Rt4NRj4j1x
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 4, 2024
When Mayfield was at his lowest, Bayless’ faith in him never waned. When Mayfield led the Bucs to a 3-1 start last season, Bayless made sure to note he “kept receipts” on those who told him the former No. 1 pick was a bust.
In an even larger display of confidence, Bayless revealed he would prefer his favorite NFL team – the Dallas Cowboys – replace Dak Prescott with Mayfield.
The comments came on his YouTube show earlier this offseason, months before the Cowboys gave Prescott the largest contract in league history.
For every touchdown pass Mayfield records, Bayless’ unwavering belief becomes further justified. And if Mayfield continues shredding opposing defenses the rest of the year, he may just wind up with an MVP award or maybe even the Lombardi.
