How Buccaneers RB Rachaad White has helped Baker Mayfield's revival

Baker Mayfield may never live up to his billing as a former No. 1 overall draft pick, but it's safe to say that Mayfield, now on his fourth team, has experienced a revival of sorts.

He's helped Tampa to a 7-7 record, which is good for first place in the woeful NFC South. He also has his team on a three-game win streak and has been playing terrific football since Week 7. Mayfield has thrown 16 touchdowns compared to just four picks in that span. 

So what has led to the turnaround for Mayfield? Credit should go to him for regaining much of the swagger he showed as the Heisman-winning quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2017. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales has also been "in his bag" as of late.

Part of that, a large part of that, in fact, has been the play of running back Rachaad White. A strong running game has always been known to be a quarterback's best friend, and that has been the case for Tampa. 

It should be no surprise that White has been extremely productive during this winning streak. He's rushed for 275 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.2 yards per carry during this streak. He's been even more effective as a pass-catcher, though, which has made Mayfield's life so much better as a quarterback.

White has 50 catches on 55 targets so far this season for 469 yards and three touchdowns -- 105 of those yards and two touchdowns have come in the past three games.

He may not be a superstar among the likes of Christian McCaffrey, but those are absolutely the type of numbers that can help a good quarterback play great football.

That makes White extremely valuable for both Tampa and Mayfield.