Baker Mayfield assessment from Bucs teammate speaks volumes after fast NFL start

Mike Evans lavished praise on Baker Mayfield following their exceptional performance in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

In what was a thrilling repeat of the 2023 NFC Wild Card Round, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers effortlessly beat the Eagles with a scoreline of 33-16. Quarterback Mayfield put forth another dazzling display, successfully executing 30 out of 47 passes which racked up 347 yards, plus two touchdowns.

Mayfield, 29, also flashed his dual threat by adding 10 rushing yards across four carries, and impressively crossing into the end zone himself. His grand total of 357 yards with three touchdowns was emblematic of his versatile prowess, a point that Evans was quick to highlight during his post-game commentary.

"He's extremely difficult to defend," Evans concluded. "He's one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the game right now. He keeps plays alive - he's the ultimate competitor."

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Competitiveness was indeed the theme as Mayfield overshadowed Eagles' high flyer Jalen Hurts, who posted a respectable 158 yards from 18 completions out of 30 attempts, along with his own touchdown. Hurts, too, presented a running threat with 20 yards and a touchdown from eight scrambles.

Following the formidable showdown, Mayfield reflected on his determination to bounce back from a less-than-ideal previous game against the Denver Broncos. "Wanted to get [previous week's] taste out of our mouth, for sure," stated the NFL star, as reported by ESPN.

Baker Mayfield kicked off with a bang, crediting his team's razor-sharp focus for their explosive start. "Started fast because the guys were just locked in. We came out with a hair-on-fire mentality. Everybody was locked in on what the plan was and we executed. That needs to be the case every week. That's how we need to start."

Mike Evans, meanwhile, racked up 94 yards over eight receptions, including one touchdown, catapulting him past Martin Gramatica (592) to become Tampa Bay's all-time leading scorer with 596 points.

Mayfield has been vocal about maximizing Evans' talents within the Buccaneers' playbook, emphasizing the receiver's central role in their attack. Last week, he shared with the press his strategy for getting Evans into the game.

"[I] definitely just try to get him going early, early and often, just to get him involved," Mayfield said. "You want to look at your priority calls early on and try to get all of our guys a touch at least.

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"Just to get them going, and then let the defense still dictate where the ball needs to go but then understanding one-on-one matchups, understanding who Mike is. So yeah, just trusting that [and] getting him the ball."

The quarterback acknowledged that looking ahead, he must stay true to his own game and carefully assess each situation to avoid costly errors. "Slowing it down," Mayfield remarked, is key to successfully connecting with Evans during games.

"For me, slowing it down mentally, going through my reads a little bit slower, not letting the rush speed up my timing, my reads, going through it true to what it is and to go from there."