Last week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield came out hot in his postgame press conference, calling the team out for what he deemed was a lack of accountability. That came after a loss to the Patriots, and another loss to another AFC East contender had Baker taking aim to place blame as well.
This time around, he turned the criticism back onto himself.
Every level found a way to contribute to the loss in Buffalo, but it was a late interception by Baker that he called specific attention to. It came in the third quarter with the Bucs leading 26-24 and looking to start pulling away.
That didn't happen, as the turnover led to a James Cook touchdown one play later.
"It goes back to where the momentum swung in the game, and it was the interception on third down in our own territory," Baker said. "We played well for the most part, but in critical moments like that, you can't have it."
It was hardly the main thing that led to the loss, but it was another case of the Bucs getting in their own way at the worst possible times. Last week shouldn't have gone as sideways as it did on Tampa Bay, and once again it was poor playmaking and bad decisions that led to the team losing a winnable game.
"We've got to make the plays when they're there," Baker said. "We ran the ball well, but the pass game I just have to be better and lead those guys better when we need it. And we needed it today."
Baker related the game to the win over Seattle earlier in the year, which was another shootout that the Bucs ended up on the right side of. It was one where a Sam Darnold interception have Tampa Bay the chance to walk away with a win, and this time around it was bad special teams mistakes and two second half turnovers that gave the Bills the breathing room they needed.
That's what makes this midseason slump, like the ones we've witnessed the last two seasons, so much worse. Tampa Bay is beating itself more than opponents, which is the worst imaginable spot to be in for a team as talented as the Bucs are.
Baker pointed to this when asked about the daunting task of trying to end this slump next week on the road against the Rams.
“The toughness and fight [were] there, it just came down to not making enough plays. It's one of those things where you come out of this game really disappointed because guys fought hard," Baker said. "We have to be extremely critical, because we want to be a great team and a great offense. So we have to be very critical of ourselves, and there were definitely a lot more points on the board for us today."
He talked about sustaining drives, which is both true and also the sort of solution-oriented leadership that can navigate the Bucs out of this nasty stretch they're in right now. We've seen them do it before, and while it's annoying to once again be dealing with a slump, Baker sounds like he's not worried about what lies ahead.
If the flight attendant isn't panicking, then neither should the passengers. This has been yet another bumpy ride for the Bucs, but Baker's message to the team after Sunday's loss at least indicates that the season is still on track, even if it's not currently moving in the direction we all would like.