Despite throwing for under 200 yards, Baker Mayfield set a record in Week 13. Mayfield completed passes to nine different receivers, the most in a single game of his career. Four receivers, two running backs, two tight ends, and an offensive lineman caught passes on Sunday, an odd mix of players.
Even with this record, Mayfield played poorly on Sunday. His performance could be partially due to his shoulder sprain, but the last few weeks have been uncharacteristic, to say the least.
Mayfield sets record in Week 13 despite poor performance vs the Cardinals
Excluding Week 12 when he missed the second half of the game due to the aforementioned injury, Mayfield averages just 204 yards per game since Week 7. If he played all of Week 12, this average would likely be much lower, since he threw for just 41 yards in the first half.
Last season, Mayfield averaged 264 yards per game during the best season of his career, compared to 216 per game in 2025. It's safe to say he's drastically declined, but why?
In 2024, Mayfield had seven players with 300+ yards receiving, a far cry from the three so far this season. Although this number will spike, especially with Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin returning, his lack of receiving options has been difficult to deal with.
Mike Evans, Godwin, and Irving have missed 23 games combined this year. These three were the top five in receptions and yards last season for the Bucs. Oddly enough, Godwin and Irving were both back in action against the Cardinals, but threw for just 194 yards.
Even with injuries, Emeka Egbuka has emerged as the potential Mike Evans replacement, but struggled alongside Mayfield in recent weeks. The standout Ohio State alum averages just four receptions a game over his last five games, and has two games over 42 yards since Week 5.
During Mayfield's struggling stint, the Bucs have struggled as well. They're just 2-4 in their last six games, and barely holding onto a lead of the NFC South. With a potentially easy upcoming schedule, Mayfield must turn it up if the Buccaneers expect to be serious Super Bowl contenders moving forward.