Buccaneers get a massive Baker Mayfield injury update ahead of Week 13

Last Sunday could not have been a bigger disaster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only did the team lose a blowout to the Rams, and in doing so fail to measure up against a contender yet again, but Baker Mayfield suffered an injury that knocked him out of the game.

That question that has been on everyone's mind ever since is how long it would keep him out. It turns out, not that long.

Baker missed the second half of the loss in LA, but it sounds like that's all the time he'll be out of action for. Even after being diagnosed with a low grade AC joint sprain, the expectation is for Mayfield to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Whether that's the right decision is yet to be seen. All we do know is that less than a week after suffering a low-grade shoulder sprain, Baker is back with the Bucs.

Buccaneers had better hope playing Baker Mayfield doesn't backfire

It's obviously good news that Baker's injury wasn't as severe as it seemed, the idea of him playing this weekend doesn't exactly seem ideal.

While the Rams are the class of the NFC, we saw what the Bucs looked like once Baker left the game. This team already has an uphill battle in terms of matching the rest of the contenders in the playoff picture, but to reach the postseason and not have Baker healthy is a recipe for a quick exit.

Teddy Bridgewater had an unfair shake last Sunday when he was thrust into action against one of the best defenses in the league. Don't judge him based on that alone, as the Bucs are in far more capable and trustworthy hands with Bridgewater than they'd be if Kyle Trask was still the backup.

That's why resting Baker on Sunday feels like the right move. Arizona isn't a pushover but the Cardinals will be missing key players on both sides of the ball and are hardly world beaters. If Tampa Bay can't muster up a home win against the Cardinals, even with Teddy starting, then perhaps the Bucs don't belong in the playoff conversation at all.

Playing Baker could make his injury worse at a time the Bucs simply can't afford anything else to go wrong. Carolina is breathing down their neck, the playoff race is tightening, and there is zero margin for error.

Losing Baker for one half was bad enough, but to lose him down the stretch would be even worse. If he's healthy enough to play, then so be it, but it's worth wondering if resting him and allowing his shoulder some time to heal might be the better move.

We'll find out on Sunday.