The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered their Week 9 bye with a 6-2 record and, if the season ended today, they'd be the number two seed in the NFC playoffs. There's obviously an entire second half of the regular season remaining and a lot of football left to be played though.
No one recognizes that more than Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. When speaking to the media on Wednesday ahead of Tampa's Week 10 matchup against the 7-2 New England Patriots, Mayfield said that this is when "real football" starts.
#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says that "real football" starts now with a really good opponent coming in off the bye week.
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) November 5, 2025
Baker Mayfield just sent a message Tampa Bay fans will absolutely love
It doesn't seem to matter that the Bucs played tough teams like the 49ers, Seahawks, Eagles, and Lions in the first half of the season. The real season, at least to Mayfield and the rest of his team, starts now, as the grind toward another NFC South division title and playoff push truly begin.
Having this mentality is certainly a good thing though. The Bucs get the 7-2 Patriots right out of the gate this Sunday, which will be a good test for them and for us to see what this team learned over the bye and what kind of team they'll be for the backhalf of the season.
Mayfield is right to have this mentality too because it doesn't just stop after this team hosts the Patriots. The following week, they'll travel to Buffalo to play the Bills, and then the week after that they'll head to Los Angeles for a date with the Rams. We'll really see what Mayfield and the Buccaneers are made of during that three-game stretch.
These are the kind of tests teams need during the regular season though because these are the kinds of teams the Buccaneers will be playing in the postseason. Obviously they'd only face the Patriots and Bills in the Super Bowl but you get the idea. Playing tough teams in the regular season is the best practice you can get when preparing for a deep playoff run, which Mayfield and the Buccaneers definitely are.
Let's hope this message doesn't fall on deaf ears and that the Bucs can make "real football" count.