Baker Mayfield suffered what looked like a lower-leg injury in the heated divisional battle between the Panthers and the Buccaneers. As the Bucs QB decided to stay in the pocket, the protection broke down, leading to him getting sacked in the third Quarter on 3rd&8 by Josey Jewell.
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The former Broncos LB took down Baker awkwardly, and to make things worse, Jadeveon Clowney stepped on the side of his foot.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield went down in pain after this play. He walked off of the field. pic.twitter.com/yyfyJNrONy
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) December 1, 2024
He looked to be in pain and was immediately taken to the blue medical tent for further testing. QB2 Kyle Trask replaced him for the next drive when the Bucs got the ball back.
Fans took to social media to express hope that it wasn’t a serious injury as Baker has been turning his career around:
Hope he’s alright, Mayfield has been turning his career around. Gonna be elite
— DazedAce | SUPERBASEDD (@itsdazedace) December 1, 2024
Another chimed in and added,
Hopefully minor
— Matt (@Panthersfan2025) December 1, 2024
A user commented,
They stepped on his right ankle
— pawellwitt (@pawellwitt) December 1, 2024
Others said,
Karma for mocking Tommy Cutlets. Go cry in the blue tent coward
— Bronco Snapple (@BroncoSnapple) December 1, 2024
Baker Mayfield’s stay in the blue tent didn’t last long. Trask played only two snaps on their next offensive drive before the former Heisman winner returned to the field.
However, the effects of the injury were visible as the Bucs QB1, needing to convert another third down, threw a pick to Xavier Woods. The Panthers DB ran for 33 yards before going down at Tampa’s 20-yard line.
But Mayfield did end up patching together three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, which included a game-tying field, taking the game to the OT.
In overtime, he led the Bucs to another drive, resulting in a 30-yard field goal, giving Tampa their 6th win (26-23) of the season. They are now 6-6. Baker finished the game with 235 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions today.