Baker Mayfield's best statistical season of NFL career comes to an end

Another stellar Baker Mayfield season ended too early in the first round of the playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Washington Commanders 23-20 in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday Night Football. The loss concluded Mayfield's second season as the Buccaneers' quarterback.

The game came down to a 37-yard field goal that doinked off an upright and still managed to get through as the clock was at zeroes.

The Buccaneers struck first with a field goal on their opening possession before the Commanders scored 10 unanswered to take a 10-0 lead. Mayfield then hit the always reliable Mike Evans for a 1-yard TD with 10 seconds left to make it a tied game at halftime.

Washington then re-took the lead thanks to another field before Mayfield gave the Bucs a 17-13 lead with a 4-yard TD pass to running back Bucky Irving.

Things still went back and fourth in the fourth quarter with a Washington TD and Tampa field goal before the ball ultimately bounced just right off the upright.

Mayfield's lone mistake was a fumble during a handoff early in the fourth quarter. The Commanders turned that turnover into seven points to take a 20-17 lead with 9:46 left.

Mayfield finished the game with 185 passing yards and the two TDs while completing 15 of 18 passes. He also rushed for 23 yards on seven carries, including one where he ran over linebacker Bobby Wagner.

This was the second time in two seasons Mayfield led the Buccaneers to the NFL Playoffs after winning the NFC South since signing with the franchise to replace Tom Brady in 2023. Mayfield had morphed into a journeyman, but his career was revitalized in Tampa, including his best season yet this year, at least statistically.

Mayfield finished the regular season with 4,500 passing yards and 41 TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes. All were career-highs by large margins and the completion percentage was a franchise record.

Mayfield also became one of only four players in NFL history to pass for more than 4,000 yards and 40 TDs while completing more than 70% of their passes. The other three are Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow.

Yet, Mayfield was somehow not selected to the Pro Bowl.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles spoke highly of Mayfield after the game and his importance to the franchise despite a mistake during the loss.

"He's your bell cow," Bowles said. "When your bell cow takes a shot and something goes wrong, you gotta live with that. They're human. We're gonna make mistakes, and he got us here.

"We wouldn't even be here without Baker Mayfield."