Even NFL Sundays are getting worse for Oklahoma fans this season.
As the Sooners are borderline unwatchable because of a stagnant offense, OU fans now, at least for a bit, won’t even get to reminisce about the glory days by watching former OU quarterback Baker Mayfield lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles announced on Monday that Mayfield will miss at least three weeks with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand that he suffered in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It was another classic Mayfield play where he was trying to make something out of nothing.
It was an obviously painful injury that had Mayfield, maybe the toughest guy in the entire league, yelling in pain after getting his hand crushed by a defender. It definitely wasn’t the same situation as Caleb Williams milking a hamstring injury like it was a gunshot wound the week before.
Baker Mayfield intercepted AND injured on this play.
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) September 27, 2026
He is literally SCREAMING in pain pic.twitter.com/cqnYwFWU3v
On the bright side, Mayfield at least avoided damage to the ligament and tendon, and he will not need surgery. There’s optimism that maybe Mayfield could be back sooner rather than later to prove he was worth the mega three-year, $165 million contract extension he signed right before the season started.
This injury can also help Mayfield relate even more to OU quarterback John Mateer, who needed surgery last year after breaking the thumb on his throwing hand. Mayfield said over the offseason that he had all the respect for Mateer because of the way he toughed through that injury and missed only one game right after getting surgery.
Baker Mayfield searching for the same bounceback his Sooners need
OU fans obviously have plenty of other former Sooners to support in the NFL, but there’s no doubt Mayfield is the favorite son of Sooner Nation. Seeing him succeed for a season would almost make up for the Sooners’ 2-2 start and their being destined for more losses than wins.
Mayfield’s Bucs have also been a tough watch so far in 2026, though. Tampa Bay is off to an 0-3 start with losses to the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Vikings. That has made for a depressing football season for Sooner Nation, especially since most Bucs games are televised in Oklahoma because of the local love for Mayfield.
The Bucs’ Week 1 performance against the Bengals was almost reminiscent of what the Sooners just did against Georgia. They fumbled on three possessions in a row that resulted in a 24-10 halftime deficit.
Mayfield was responsible for two of those three fumbles, then coughed the ball up again for a third time when he was sacked in the fourth quarter.
Against Georgia on Saturday, Mateer also turned the ball over three straight drives with a pair of fumbles and an interception between them.
Overall, Mayfield had completed 63.5% of his passes for 615 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions through his first three games of Year 9 in the NFL.
Hopefully, this week will be a good rest for the Sooners and Baker will look like Baker again when he returns, so Sooner Nation can start enjoying football season again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google