Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield discusses health ahead of Eagles game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is dealing with injured ribs and a sore ankle coming off this past Sunday's 9-0 win at the Carolina Panthers that clinched the NFC South division title and a home playoff game for the Buccaneers.
"Got a little ankle injury pretty early in the (Carolina) game," Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "One of those things, as the week goes on feel better and better. Good rehab work done on it, see how it goes."
Mayfield first hurt his ribs late in the Week 17 home loss to the New Orleans Saints and then was spotted limping during and after the victory at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium.
The 28-year-old ultimately completed 20-of-32 passes for just 137 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions against the Panthers. Per the JoeBucsFan website, Mayfield sat through at least a portion of Wednesday's practice. With that said, there's currently no indication that the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft will be sidelined when the 9-8 Buccaneers host the 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles in this coming Monday's wild-card playoff game.
"Luckily, the blessing is we play on Monday night," Mayfield added on Wednesday. "An extra day of rest and recovery for me."
According to ESPN stats, Mayfield ended the regular season ranked 12th in the NFL among qualified players with a 94.6 passer rating, seventh with 28 touchdowns through the air and ninth with 4,044 passing yards. He helped Tampa Bay win five of its final six games to earn a postseason berth.
As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Buccaneers as three-point home underdogs versus the Eagles. 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask has never logged a meaningful NFL start but presumably would get the nod against Philadelphia if Mayfield is ruled out for the must-win contest.
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