Baker Mayfield does it again

Baker Mayfield has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in the NFL playoffs.

The Buccaneers notched a comeback Sunday to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-19 to clinch the NFC South title and secure a spot in the NFL playoffs as the No. 3 seed.

Mayfield has led the Bucs to a division title and the playoffs both of his seasons as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback. In 2020, Mayfield also got the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Wild Card game.

The Bucs had to overcome a 16-6 halftime deficit on Sunday to keep their season alive. Mayfield helped spark the comeback with his usual grittiness and a pair of TD passes in the second half.

Tampa Bay immediately shortened the margin on the first drive of the second half when Mayfield threw a 6-yard TD pass to Payne Durham to make the count 16-13. The Saints later added another field goal, though, after Mayfield threw a pick on the Bucs' next possession.

Mayfield then stepped up with the Bucs down 19-13 nearing the end of the third quarter. He scrambled for gains of 14, 7 and 6 before capping the drive with a 32-yard TD pass to Jalen McMillian to give his team a 20-19 lead after the PAT with 10:09 left.

Bucky Irving padded the lead later with an 11-yard TD run with 1:51 left thanks to Mayfield's improvisation. Mayfield also completed a 9-yard pass to Mike Evans on the last play of the game to make Evans the only receiver other than Jerry Rice to tally 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, which also earned Evans a $3 million bonus.

Mayfield finished the regular-season finale with 221 passing yards and a pair of TDs after going 21-for-32 through the air. He also rushed for 68 yards on nine carries.

As the No. 3 seed, the Buccaneers will host the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders at 7 p.m. CT as part of NBC's Sunday Night Football.