The Buccaneers were always likely to secure a playoff spot. However, the lingering question was: How far could they go once they got there? The answer became clear today, as the Commanders eliminated them in the wild card round. Tampa Bay’s postseason hopes were undone by a series of costly mistakes, most notably a critical error from Baker Mayfield. Jon Gruden weighed in on the misstep during the latest episode of Barstool Sports – The Shred Line, offering his take on the blunder that defined their early exit.
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” I’m just disgusted. As you said, failing to hand the ball off on your own 12-yard line, you deserve to lose. And it’s 3rd&1 and you tried to get tricky with some kind of hard count, you lose four yards and it cost you another four points. Horrible.”
After the Buccaneers’ stout defense held firm in the red zone, stopping the Commanders on a crucial 4th-and-goal, Tampa Bay regained possession at their five-yard line, looking to extend their lead. Baker Mayfield orchestrated a few positive plays, including a first down connection with Mike Evans, giving the offense some breathing room.
But disaster soon struck. A botched snap count led to miscommunication on a handoff attempt to Jalen McMillan. Instead of securing the ball and taking a hit or scrambling, Mayfield fumbled it, allowing Bobby Wagner to recover for Washington.
The turnover gave the Commanders’ offense a prime field position, which they capitalized on as Jayden Daniels found the end zone, swinging the momentum back in their favor.
Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back in criticizing Baker Mayfield’s costly mistake, taking the opportunity to rub it in the face of his co-host, Steve Cheah, a devoted Bucs fan. While Cheah attempted to shift blame onto officiating errors, Portnoy dismissed the excuses, calling Tampa “the architects of their own downfall.”
He emphasized that no referee decisions could excuse such a fundamental error, pointing out that the loss ultimately came down to the botched snap count and Baker’s inability to secure a routine handoff at their own 12-yard line. For Portnoy, the blame lay squarely with the team’s self-inflicted mistakes rather than external factors.
“You sound like a baby, Cheah. You fumbled the ball at your own 12-yard line. That’s your self-inflicted errors. You can’t blame it on the refs. Your guy didn’t snap the ball or snapped it early, so how can you blame the refs? Every play that cost you the game was your own fault and had nothing to do with the other team.”
After at least winning a wild-card game last season, Tampa couldn’t even get past that stage this year, thanks to Baker and late offensive struggles. His fumble cost them big time but it shouldn’t surprise anyone since he fumbled the ball 13 times during the regular season and threw 16 interceptions.
The Commanders with rookie QB, Jayden Daniels, go the divisional round and will take on the mighty Lions.
