Baker Mayfield Does it Again: Former Oklahoma QB Leads Tampa to Late Rally

Mayfield’s stats were good but not stellar — he was 25-of-38 throwing the football or 215 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and was sacked four times — but after the Bucs gave up a late touchdown to trail 19-14, he came to life.

Mayfield overcame a late fourth-and-10 with a 15-yard scramble to start the game-winning drive — a 16-play, 80-yard march. On that drive, Mayfield completed 7-of-9 passes for 63 yards to set up a short touchdown run by running back Rachaad White to win it.

For the game, Mayfield also flustered the fearsome Texans’ pass rush by rushing for 33 yards on three carries.

The Bucs led most of the second half, but a missed field goal off the right upright, a blocked punt and a 51-yard punt return fueled the Texans. Houston also rallied thanks to a dropped interception and an uncontested 25-yard TD run by Nick Chubb that gave the home team the lead.

But Mayfield, who was hit frequently and appeared banged up several times in the fourth quarter, made sure the offense delivered just enough to prevail.

“Got another win. Doesn’t have to be pretty,” Mayfield said on social media while walking off the field. Monday Night Football, though, 2-0. On to the next.”

It was Mayfield’s 12th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, which is the most in the NFL during his professional tenure, which began with Cleveland in 2018, the year after he won the Heisman Trophy and led Oklahoma to its best performance in a College Football Playoff. He also leads the NFL in touchdown passes since joining the Bucs at the start of the 2023 seasen.

Another former Sooner and Mayfield teammate contributed to the Bucs' victory as well. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard delivered four receptions for 34 yards.

Shepard was a senior at OU in 2015, when Mayfield took over the starting job as a third-year sophomore, two years after transferring from Texas Tech.