The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have needed a miraculous late comeback to overcome a New York Jets team that was a few plays away from a dramatic comeback win, but Todd Bowles' team pushed themselves to come through and pick up their third-straight close win to begin the season.
Mayfield found yet another way to stir up the emotional energy he needs to play his best football against the Jets, as one of the main decision-makers on a defense that was unable to even put together a respectable game plan had previously slighted Baker in his pre-Bucs tenure.
Mayfield noted that Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who was Baker's head coach during his ill-fated stint with the Carolina Panthers, was the coach who officially cut him loose before joining the Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield called the win "personal" after Wilks gave up on him.
Mayfield also knows that this win means a lot for pass rusher Haason Reddick, who saw his status within the league plummet down into the dirt the very second he put on Jets colors. Reddick getting this win against his former team had to mean a ton for the well-traveled veteran.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield calls win vs. Steve Wilks, Jets "personal"
Mayfield may not have had the most statistically amazing game in the world, but considering that he was playing with multiple practice squad offensive linemen and facing off against a Jets defensive line that strung together a quality performance, his clutch performances were enough to earn him a gold star.
Wilks decided that he didn't want too much of the Mayfield experiment when he was trying to earn himself a second permanent head coaching job. While Wilks has since bounced around as a coordinator at multiple unsuccessful stops, Mayfield has become an elite quarterback in Tampa Bay.
While Reddick may have committed one of the greatest acts of football self-sabotage in recent memory as a result of his infamous holdout, he has been everything that Tampa Bay could have expected from a player with his history. On a weak pass rush unit, Reddick has been a stabilizing force.
Mayfield has always been at his best when he has someone or something he needs to prove wrong, and he will always be seeking out those doubters to motivate him. Wilks will forever be someone who Mayfield holds in low regard, and that fueled his Week 3 fire.