The worst might be yet to come for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After losing their RB1, WR1, and WR2 to injuries, the team was barely skating by with victories thanks to the heroics of their superstar quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Leading them to a 5-2 record, Mayfield had recorded four game-winning drives on the season already, making lemonade out of lemons.
However, after a brutal 24-9 loss to the Detroit Lions, their shining light may have extenguished its flame. After the game, with Mike Evans already lost for most of the remaining season with a broke clavicle, the Buccaneers received their worst update of the year, this time pertaining to Mayfield himself.
What Happened to Baker Mayfield?
The exact nature of the problem is unknown for him. But after the game, it was all over social media that the former first overall pick had an injury that he was dealing with.
Soon after, confirmation came via a Bucs beat writer, Rick Stroud, who confirmed on X, “Baker Mayfield had a pronounced limp on his way to the locker room.” It’s unclear when exactly Mayfield suffered his injury.
But after emerging as a front-runner for the MVP Award, his loss could prove to be insurmountable for Tampa Bay. With 1,539 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and just one interception, Mayfield has been on fire all season long.
Baker Mayfield points his finger at the refs, he isn’t happy right now 😡 pic.twitter.com/f8ylGzEetR
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 21, 2025
Some of his best moments, whether through the air or on the ground, have come at criticially important points in games, thereby allowing the Bucs to jump out to a start that had them tied for the best record in the NFC even with the string of injuries on the roster.
Currently ranked ninth on PFSN’s QB Impact, he firmly had his team in conversations for a potential Super Bowl appearance. With the status and severity of his injury unknown, it’ll be interesting to see how the Buccaneers move forward.
The injury to Mayfield might not have been the result of a singularly brutal play, but a combination of the extreme pressure he had to deal with all night. Sacked four times on the night, the Lions also recorded eight hits against him.
For the time being, it doesn’t look like the injury will limit Mayfield and lead to him missing time during the season. But it could hamper his play to some extent, as evidenced by the Detroit game, where he ended the night with zero rushing attempts, after adding 158 yards on the ground this season before tonight.
