Baker Mayfield sends cold-blooded message to Buccaneers after loss to Saints

Baker Mayfield was hardly pleased after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and he wasn't shy about it after the game.

All the Tampa Bay needed to do coming into Sunday was win its next three games, and the NFC South would be clinched. Simple as that, easy does it. Anyone expecting an easy win over the Saints, though, was clearly watching the Buccaneers for the first time.

New Orleans embarrassed the Bucs and, in doing so, evened the playing field atop the NFC South. Tampa Bay and Carolina are now tied and in a dead heat over the next four games to see who can come away with a division title.

Despite the loss, Tampa Bay still controls its own destiny. If the Bucs win their next three games, one of which is against Carolina, then the NFC South will be clinched before Week 18. Staying out of their own way has proven to be easier said than done, though, and nobody knows that better than Baker.

Baker Mayfield sends a stern message to Buccaneers after pathetic loss to Saints

After the loss, a stern Mayfield didn't mince words when it came to how he thinks the team should feel following such a pathetic performance. When asked how the locker room avoids getting frustrated during a slump like the team is currently in, he fired back with a shot across the bow.

"We should be frustrated," Baker said. "We should take it out [on the Falcons] on Thursday night."

Much like the Bucs path to the playoffs, it really is as simple as that. Tampa Bay should have come out and turned in a get-right game against the Saints, but instead laid a dud and proved to be their own worst enemy.

Using this loss to fuel a bounce back game on Thursday night is exactly what a serious team would do. The question is whether or not the Bucs have that sort of grit in them.

Atlanta looks capital-B Bad right now. Raheem Morris is likely coaching for his job, the Falcons are in free-fall and will come to Tampa off a 28-point home loss to the Seahawks. Still, even with that context, Bucs fans can't be faulted for feeling nervous about how Thursday might go, even if all on paper indcators suggest Tampa Bay should have a good night.

Kirk Cousins always plays the Bucs tough, Raheem wants to beat his old team, and the Bucs needed luck from the football gods to beat Atlanta in Week 1. To boot, it's a primetime game in which Tampa Bay is wearing creamsicle throwbacks.

All vibe indicators suggest the misery of Sunday will roll into Thursday.

If that happens, all bets are off. The Bucs will still have a path to the playoffs, but Carolina will be blocking it. At that point, though, it's worth wondering if the playoff conversation is even worth having. There's reason to believe that should be worth discussing now, as a Bucs team that can barely beat the Cardinals and then loses to the Saints doesn't feel worthy of a playoff spot.

There's still four games left, and help is on the way. Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan are reportedly set to return either Thursday or in two weeks against the Panthers, and their addition to the offense drastically changes things.

If the Bucs come out flat on Thursday, and worse yet lay another dud, then none of the might end up meaning much in the end. That's the point of Baker's message, and it will be telling whether the team listens or not.