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Former Oklahoma Star Baker Mayfield Leads Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Upset Win

The former Heisman winner was an instant star in the first week of Sooners in the NFL.

Ross Lovelace

Former Oklahoma Star Baker Mayfield Leads Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Upset Win
Former Oklahoma Star Baker Mayfield Leads Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Upset Win /
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Baker Mayfield has always been at his best as an underdog. Sunday was just more confirmation. 

In his first game as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield marched into Minnesota and knocked off the heavily favored Vikings, led by Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson, 20-17. 

Sounding humble and confident postgame following his first win, Mayfield noted his team still has a long way to go. It could be the start of an under-the-radar season that helps Mayfield resurrect his career, though.

“(Brian Flores) is a defensive mastermind,” Mayfield said after facing the tough Vikings defense. “So it was a good test for us for our first match. We’re going to grow. We’re going to get better. Offensively, we have a long way to go. But we’ll take all the wins we can get. It’s extremely hard in this league.”

Tampa Bay started out slow, starting with Mayfield completing just 3-of-11 passes to open the game. From that point on though, the former Oklahoma quarterback caught fire.

The Buccaneers picked up the pace in the second quarter, running a variation of a hurry-up offense. Mayfield responded to the tempo by connecting with Mike Evans on a 28-yard deep ball that found the star receiver in stride and tied the score at 10-10.

His second touchdown of the afternoon came with 6:06 left in the game, connecting with rookie receiver Trey Palmer on a bit of improv outside the pocket. This score gave Tampa Bay the lead.

In total, Mayfield accounted for 173 passing yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-34 passing. He also rushed for 11 yards, fighting for a 4-yard first down on third-and-short that essentially sealed the victory for Tampa Bay.

After Minnesota used up all of its timeouts, Mayfield put the nail in the coffin a second time, connecting with Chris Godwin for 11 yards on third-and-10. When his back was against the wall, he rose to the occasion.

"Just can't say enough about our guys just playing the next play," Mayfield said. "It wasn't our prettiest effort by any means, but we finished the right way. We finished with the ball in our hands. We talked about that coming in here, and that's how we wanted to do it."

After a disappointing stop in Carolina last year, Mayfield ended the season on a high note in Los Angeles with Sean McVay and the Rams. His solid play led to a one-year deal with the Buccaneers, allowing Mayfield to prove his worth and potentially stick around.

He stepped into big shoes to fill this offseason, taking over for Tom Brady, who won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have little to no expectations, but that's where Mayfield tends to thrive.

“The key pieces that were a huge part of that Super Bowl run, and their success recently, they’re all still here,” Mayfield told the Tampa Bay Times before Sunday's game. “It’s a different hunger because, unfortunately, the narrative is that Tom’s gone and we suck.

“That’s fortunate for us, because that makes our guys have a different type of motivation they might have not had recently. It puts them into a different level of competition and trying to prove that our locker room is more than capable of keeping that success."

It's early, but the Bucs' Week One stunner showcased the team's potential, and Mayfield was steering the ship steady.

Check back each week at AllSooners for instant reactions on the Sooners in the NFL star of the week.

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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