Baker Mayfield is getting utterly disrespected in MVP race for no good reason
By Josh Hill
After an offseason of getting dunked on again, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have needed just six weeks to clap back at their critics. It's been a thunderous response, as the Bucs have the highest-scoring offense in the league and are coming off a 51-27 thrashing of the New Orleans Saints.
New offensive coordinator Liam Coen deserves his flowers for what is happening, but the credit begins with Baker Mayfield. He returned to Tampa Bay this offseason on a $100 million deal that was instantly questioned despite all he proved last year. It wasn't that anyone was in denial that Baker had a career year in 2023; rather, the assumption was that he was bound to regress.
That hasn't happened, as Mayfield is on pace to finish with even better numbers than he did last year. Not only that but there's an MVP case slowly being built that should be getting more attention than it is.
Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP candidate, even if he's not being talked about like one
Heading into Week 7, Patrick Mahomes is the odds-on favorite to win MVP, with Josh Allen behind him with the second-best odds. Neither of those guys is playing as well as Baker, who currently has the 12th-best odds behind guys like Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts.
That's embarrassing, and not for Mayfield.
Baker outright beat two of the quarterbacks ranked ahead of him, with Jalen Hurts looking anything but an MVP candidate as the Bucs picked the Eagles offense apart a few weeks ago. Jared Goff is in much better shape, but Tampa Bay marched into Detroit and rode Mayfield's performance to a victory.
According to DraftKings, Baker actually has worse MVP odds now than he did before the season which is absolutely insane for a number of reasons. The most damning argument against that is how he is outplaying both Mahomes and Allen, who have the best odds but worse numbers than Mayfield.
Here's who they stack up through the first six weeks:
Baker Mayfield | Patrick Mahomes | Josh Allen | |
|---|---|---|---|
Passing Yards | 1,489 | 1,235 | 1,160 |
Passing Yards/Attempt | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.4 |
Passing Yards/Game | 248.2 | 247.0 | 193.3 |
Completion % | 70.9 | 69.4 | 62.8 |
Passing TDs | 15 | 10 | 6 |
QB Rating | 109.4 | 88.9 | 106.8 |
Rushing Yards | 136 | 83 | 178 |
Rushing Y/A | 6.5 | 3.6 | 5.1 |
A cherry on top is Baker having the most fantasy points among the three quarterbacks, which amounts to the popular vote since fantasy football is connective tissue among general fans.
It's only six weeks and there's a lot of football left to play, and Baker still needs to do a lot of work to establish his MVP candidacy. These next four games will be a great way to do that, as strong performances from him in primetime games against the Ravens and Chiefs, as well as tough matchups against the Falcons and 49ers, will go a long way in helping him make a case.
The fact of the matter is there should already be a conversation. Baker has answered the bell and avoided the pitfall some players trip into after securing the bag. A guy who some pundits though would regress has actually gotten better, and so has the team around him as a result, which is a textbook arguement to make for someone being MVP.
It's not the first time Baker or the Bucs have been ignored in a conversation, though, but it might not be long before everyone is forced to pay attention.
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