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Stephen A. Smith Names the Best Team in NFL Right Now

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 12:40 PM ET

Between the injury list and the noise of Week 6, one thing is no longer debatable: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can win without their headline receivers, and the country is starting to notice.

In Tampa Bay’s 30–19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Baker Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns and produced a scrambling fourth-quarter play that kept a drive alive and led to the game-clinching field goal.

The performance came while the Bucs were without veteran receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and after rookie pass-catcher Emeka Egbuka left with a hamstring issue in the second half.

That resilience is exactly why Stephen A. Smith, who had the Buccaneers "on the outside looking in" after Week 5, moved Tampa Bay to No. 1 on his A-List during ESPN’s "First Take" on Tuesday.

"Without Mike Evans. Without Godwin. With Egbuka going down. They're still finding ways to win games," Smith said. "Who's the leading candidate for league MVP honors right now? It's Baker Mayfield. Oh, by the way, defensively, Todd Bowles is coaching, so you know that means something."

.@stephenasmith shares his top five NFL teams after Week 6 pic.twitter.com/1ehsuDh4jh
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 14, 2025

Through six games Mayfield has paced the Bucs with 1,539 passing yards (fourth in NFL), 12 touchdowns (tied for third) and a single interception, tidy efficiency that has given him the sixth-best passer rating in football (108.5).

Those stats (and the wins) have shifted both narrative and betting markets, as br_betting revealed after Sunday's performance that Mayfield is now +400 to win NFL MVP, second only to the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (+155); he was at +1100 before Week 6 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws downfield during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers.© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Bucs have earned a margin of respect they didn’t have a month ago. With Mayfield playing arguably the best football of his career, opponents can no longer plan on neutralizing the passing game and banking on Tampa Bay folding, even when the team is without its four starting wide receivers. Last year's No. 3 receiver, Jalen McMillan, has yet to play this season after suffering a neck injury during the preseason.

Looking ahead, the Buccaneers' next test will come at Ford Field against the 4-2 Detroit Lions on "Monday Night Football," a game in which Detroit is favored. The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET Monday on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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