Buccaneers Defense Gets Chance to Face ‘Next Baker Mayfield’
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have created the template for the current “Quarterback Revival Movement” in the NFL when they signed former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to a 1-year, $3 million contract in 2023.
From the outside, even with that little of a financial risk, the Buccaneers seemed like they were punting on their season even before it began. The perception of Mayfield was he was a bust who was about to be on his fourth team in 3 seasons.
The reality was Mayfield was as far from a bust as could be. The team that initially drafted him and traded him — the Cleveland Browns — was the truly toxic member of that relationship.
Mayfield’s success in Tampa Bay — consecutive Pro Bowls and consecutive NFC South Division titles — came with a 3-year, $100 million contract before the 2024 season.
Now, the Buccaneers are ready to get an up close look at the player who might take the mantle from Mayfield and others as the NFL’s next big QB reclamation product.
Mac Jones to Jauan Jennings for the 42-yard TD!
Darnold, Others Have Found Way Back to Spotlight
In 2024, Minnesota Vikings quarterback and former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold resurrected his career and landed a 3-year, $100.5 million free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2025 season.
In 2025, Indianapolis Colts quarterback and former No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones has become the NFL’s latest darling. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones, who will start against the Buccaneers in Week 6, might be the next in line.
Jones was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the New England Patriots and is on his third team in 3 years. He’s also 3-0 starting in place of Brock Purdy and the 49ers are 4-1.
“Jones is 3-0 and playing more like the guy New England expected when he was drafted in the first round in 2021,” The AP’s Rob Maadi wrote on October 12. “Jones has shown he could possibly be the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold — former first-round picks who bounced around the league before becoming franchise quarterbacks on other teams.”
What Jones Brings to Table for 49ers
It’s unfair to say Jones has been anything but spectacular in his 3 starts for the 49ers in place of Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft who played his way into a 5-year, $265 million contract extension before this season.
In 3 starts, Jones has thrown for 905 yards, 6 touchowns and 1 interception, including a season high 342 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.
Let’s not forget that Jones, who won a pair of College Football Playoff national championships at Alabama, actually made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Patriots in 2021, when he led the team to a 10-7 record.
Jones battled injuries and inefficiency over the next 2 seasons in New England before New England decided to draft current starter Drake Maye at No. 2 overall in 2024 and traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jones went 2-5 in 7 starts for the Jaguars in 2024 playing in place of an injured Trevor Lawrence and playing for a lame duck head coach in Doug Pedersen, who was fired after Jacksonville finished the season 4-13.
The Titans head coach is the last person who should be criticizing Cam Ward right now - but he did it anyway
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan did not spare Cam Ward from criticism on Sunday after their team’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Both teams entered the Week 6 contest with identical 1-4 records. But the Raiders outperformed the Titans in the 20-10 affair at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
During his postgame press conference, Callahan admitted he was “incredibly discouraged” by how the game unraveled. He then singled out Ward for not playing up to expectations.
“We’ve all got to be better. Cam’s a part of that too,” Callahan said. “Cam’s got to play better football as well. We’ve got to coach better, we’ve got to play better — all those things. It’s not all just him, but he is a part of it. We’d like to be able to start seeing some more good football being played.”
Tennessee went scoreless at halftime, with Ward committing two costly turnovers in the second quarter. With the Titans trailing 3-0 midway through the period, the rookie QB coughed up a fumble a couple of yards away from his team’s end zone. The Raiders scored a touchdown three plays later.
The Miami alum also ended the game with another fumble before even getting touched by a defender.
Ward went 26/38 for 222 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and a pair of fumbles in the loss. He also got trolled by Maxx Crosby after the Raiders linebacker sacked him into oblivion.
It’s not the first time Callahan has been critical of his quarterback. Callahan often had choice words for last year’s starter Will Levis throughout the team’s disastrous 2024 campaign.
Titans Take Step Back in Loss to Raiders
The Tennessee Titans are back in the loss column after falling 20-10 to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 inside Allegiant Stadium.
The Titans struggled to get things going, putting together a scoreless effort in the first half. Meanwhile, the Raiders were able to build a lead off of a Daniel Carlson field goal and a touchdown to tight end Michael Mayer, building a 10-0 advantage going into the locker room.
The Titans had chances to make some noise in the first half, but a fumble by quarterback Cam Ward led to the Mayer touchdown and the rookie threw an interception with seconds to go in the first half as Tennessee was driving into Las Vegas territory.
The Raiders continued to build their lead with a drive that lasted almost eight minutes, finishing in a touchdown by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. The Titans responded with a field goal to make it a two-score game once again, but it was too little, too late for Tennessee.
While the Titans made some noise in the fourth quarter with a Cody Barton interception and a touchdown from tight end David Martin-Robinson (the first of his career), the effort wasn't enough to get back into the game.
The game marked Ward's worst of his career so far. He was sacked five times for a loss of 47 yards.
The Titans offense also lost top wide receiver Calvin Ridley to injury. He left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
The defense also took a blow, losing rookie linebacker Femi Oladejo to a calf injury. He also did not return for the Titans.
Overall, the Titans are definitely trending in the wrong direction with a loss. For a third straight week, the team scored three points or less in the first half, while showing signs of pure struggle throughout the game.
Not a single contest has appeared easy for the Titans through six weeks, which is a sign that things are not improving. Things could change in Week 7 against the New England Patriots at home, but it will be a challenge as former head coach Mike Vrabel makes his return to Nashville with the Pats rocking a 4-2 record through six games.
