Mayfield says streaking Bucs will have to play even better down the stretch to return to playoffs

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield already has matched his career high for touchdown passes in a season, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won three straight games to climb back to the top of the NFC South standings.

The quarterback is trying to lead Tampa Bay to a fourth consecutive division title, and he thinks the Buccaneers (7-6) are going to have to play even better down the stretch not only to achieve their goal of earning a playoff berth but making a deep postseason run.

“We will take wins. I don’t really care how it looks,” Mayfield said after a sloppy 28-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders lifted Tampa Bay back over .500 in its bid to overcome a stretch in which it lost five of six games.

“But offensively, we will have to be a lot more consistent for us to be able to make this push that we want to do, and we know that,” Mayfield added. “There is a lot of ball left, and we have to continue to get better.”

Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders. He also turned the ball over three times in the first half to help Las Vegas stay close until the fourth quarter.

This is the third straight season the Bucs have needed a strong stretch run to pull out of a midseason tailspin and give themselves a chance to get back to the postseason.

Mayfield has thrown for 28 TDs to match the total he threw in resurrecting a stalled career with Tampa Bay a year ago.

The Bucs, 7-1 in December/January games dating to last season, are the only NFC team that made the playoffs each of the past four seasons.

“We’ve got four weeks to play. We’re happy to be playing meaningful football in December. We understand what that means,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We have to go out every week and try to squeeze out these games, but it feels good.”

What’s working

The improvement of the running game has been a big part of the team’s success. The Bucs rushed for 152 yards against the Raiders, giving them 100-plus on the ground in 10 of 13 games. They reached that number in nine of 34 games over the previous two regular seasons. Rachaad White scored the team’s 14th rushing touchdown. That’s one more than the Bucs had combined in 2022 (five) and 2023 (eight).

What needs help

While the offensive line opened gaping holes for the running game against Las Vegas, it failed to provide adequate pass protection for Mayfield. The Raiders had four sacks and eight quarterback hits. Mayfield was intercepted twice and lost a fumble that led to Las Vegas’ only touchdown.

Stock up

Rookie WR Jalen McMillan had four receptions for 59 yards and two TDs — all season highs — against the Raiders. He’s the first Tampa Bay rookie with multiple TDs receiving in a game since O.J. Howard in 2017.

Stock down

Rookie punter Jack Browning didn’t distinguish himself in his Bucs debut. After hitting a 49-yarder that was returned 16 yards on his first punt, he had a 39-yarder returned 14 yards and a 40-yarder that Raiders punt returner Ameer Abdullah was able to fair catch at the Las Vegas 20.

“It’s a work in progress,” Bowles said of how Browning, the third punter the Bucs have used this season, looked. “I’m going to brush it off to rookie jitters and we’ll go from there.”

Injuries

S Antoine Winfield Jr (knee) and RB Bucky Irving (back) were lost during the first half against the Raiders. Bowles said Monday that Winfield may be sidelined a couple of weeks, meaning he could miss road games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. Irving’s status will be determined later in the week.

Key numbers

19, 37½. LB Lavonte David continues to impress in his 13th season. He had a sack, quarterback hit and fumble recovery against Las Vegas. The fumble recovery was the 19th of his career, most among players since he entered the NFL in 2012. He has 37½ career sacks, including four this season.

Next up

Visit the Chargers, the only opponent the Bucs will face over the remaining four games that has a winning record.

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