Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued their winning path, beating San Francisco 49ers 30-17 to move to 5-1 on the year… and Baker Mayfield did it with a powerful offense.
Already without Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Bucky Irving, Mayfield lost Emeka Egbuka to injury in the third quarter, but still found a way to pull out the win. Cameron Johnson (64 yards, one touchdown), Tez Johnson (45 yards, one touchdown), Cade Otton (51 yards) and Sterling Shepard (51 yards) added strength.
Baker had just six incompletions, going 17 of 23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns, while Rachaad White (65 yards, one touchdown on 17 carries) did the dirty work on the ground.
Given the way Tampa Bay won, John Breech of CBS Sports gave Todd Bowles' team an A- grade for its performance.
“If the NFL decided to award an MVP award after Week 6, it would probably have to go to Baker Mayfield.” Breach writes. “The Bucs won this game without Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, and once the team is fully healthy, they will have to be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders, if they aren't already.”
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The Buccaneers face a list of brutal injuries.
Match with Detroit Lions will be something that will be met with excitement, but the Buccaneers could be without Evans, Godwin, Egbuka and Irving in the NFC showdown.
The only thing we know about Bowles' teams is that they fight to the end with Mayfield under center, this Tampa Bay team won't go quietly to Ford Field.
Having crossed the line against the 49ers, these same role players will have to step up again if Mayfield loses his top four weapons. They showed last week that they can do it, but consistency is crucial in the NFL and Tampa Bay needs it now more than ever.
Beat Detroit and this Buccaneers team will receive adulation the likes of which it hasn't seen since Tom Brady won the Super Bowl, but with an injury list like this, that could be a tall order. However, doubt Tampa Bay and Mayfield at your peril.