Baker Mayfield injury made Buccaneers' nightmare against Rams even worse

In a season full of injuries, the last thing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed was for Baker Mayfield to get added to the heap.

That happened in less than a full half on Sunday night, as the disaster in Los Angeles was made even worse by Baker needing to leave the game with a shoulder injury. He appeared to have injured himself while scrambling to extend a drive that ultimately ended in a touchdown, and re-aggravated it on the final play of the second quarter while trying to throw a Hail Mary.

After that first scramble, Baker left the field grabbing at his left shoulder, and headed straight into the blue medical tent on the sideline. He eventually emerged and returned to the game on the next drive but it was clear that something wasn't right.

We found that out when he came up grabbing his shoulder again after launching a deep ball that really didn't travel that far and likely caused more damage than it was worth. Baker was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater to start the second half, and Baker's injury now takes center stage in the Buccaneers' carnival of anxiety.

The least awful thing about the play was that it resulted in an interception that nearly got returned for another Rams touchdown, which says all you need to know about how the night was going at that point.

Buccaneers are pretty much cooked if Baker Mayfield misses time

Losing Baker Mayfield for any period of time is a potential death sentence for a team already teetering on the brink of total collapse. Tampa Bay came into Sunday night having lost three of its last four games, and dug into a 14-0 hole before the NBC broadcast could even intro the defense.

Baker was part of that, throwing a pick-six that really should have been credited more to Cade Otton, but he's also essential to the Buccaneers' playoff hopes. Without him the team is significantly worse.

With a loss on Sunday to the Rams, Tampa Bay drops to 6-5 and is officially in panic mode when it comes to getting passed up in the NFC South. Carolina can move into first place with a win over the 49ers on Monday night, as we are fully in perhaps the worst midseason slump we've watched the Bucs fall into over the last few years.

Still, the season isn't over. Tampa Bay's schedule loosens up significantly after Sunday night with the Bucs facing only one team with a winning record. That would be Carolina, and when the two teams meet in December things could look a lot different.

If Baker isn't in the picture, though, the Bucs are pretty much cooked. Injuries have robbed the team of stars like Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin for large chunks of the season, and Baker is the linchpin. Teddy Bridgewater is a massive upgrade over Kyle Trask, and the season isn't over if he needs to play a few games, but it might be one injury too many for the Bucs to survive.