Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield Reaches Career Milestone in Blowout Win

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers delivered one of their most convincing performances Sunday, crushing the Carolina Panthers 43-13. Tampa Bay secured its second win of the season by dominating both sides of the ball and controlling the game on the ground.

Mayfield Reaches 200 Career Touchdown Passes

The Buccaneers rushed for more than 250 yards while Baker Mayfield finished with just 64 passing yards. Although the offense didn’t need much through the air, Mayfield still reached a significant milestone during the victory.

His lone touchdown pass went to receiver Tez Johnson, marking the 200th passing touchdown of Mayfield’s NFL career. The achievement places him among the league’s most productive active quarterbacks.

Mayfield Joins the NFL’s Top 10 Active Quarterbacks

Mayfield’s 200 career touchdown passes put him alongside some of the NFL’s most accomplished active quarterbacks. He has also thrown 98 touchdown passes during his time with Tampa Bay.

The milestone list includes Aaron Rodgers with 540 touchdown passes, followed by Matthew Stafford with 434. Kirk Cousins has 314, Patrick Mahomes has 276, and Joe Flacco has 272.

Jared Goff sits at 270, while Andy Dalton has 254 and Dak Prescott has 253. Josh Allen rounds out the group ahead of Mayfield with 229 career touchdown passes.

Mayfield still has considerable ground to cover to climb higher on the list. However, reaching 200 touchdowns reflects his production throughout a career filled with highs, lows, and multiple stops.

What’s Next for Mayfield and the Buccaneers?

Sunday’s victory demonstrated how effective Tampa Bay can be when its offensive line and running game control the action. Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, and Sean Tucker combined to overwhelm Carolina’s defense.

That rushing success provides Tampa Bay with a valuable offensive foundation moving forward. However, the Buccaneers cannot expect their ground game to carry the offense every week.

Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and Mayfield must find better ways to generate consistent production through the air. Screens and short passes alone won’t stretch defenses or consistently create opportunities downfield.

The Buccaneers welcome the Atlanta Falcons to Raymond James Stadium in Week 8 for their second divisional matchup. Improving the passing attack will be particularly important against another NFC South opponent.

Atlanta’s offense has shown improvement this season with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback. Tampa Bay’s defense will need another strong performance to contain the Falcons and keep the game manageable.

If the Buccaneers can maintain their rushing dominance while getting more production from Mayfield, another victory is within reach. A win would give Tampa Bay its third victory overall and second divisional win of the season.

More on the Bucs’ victory over the Panthers below

The Buccaneers Play Football Like it’s 1980 and Beat Carolina 43-13