4 players who must step up (again) for Buccaneers in Week 2
By Josh Hill
Baker Mayfield, QB
This almost goes without saying, but the biggest key to the Buccaneers winning in Week 2 is Baker Mayfield continuing to prove the doubters wrong.
He turned in one of the grittiest performances we've seen in some time out of a Bucs quarterback not named Tom Brady. Mayfield didn't need to lead a comeback, rather he clinched the game with a gutsy drive that demonstrated his intelligence and leadership under pressure. Without missing a beat, Baker made plays like scrambling for a clutch first down and then hitting one of his best weapons to clinch the win -- things that felt easier than they seemed.
Baker got off to a rough start in Week 1, which is what made the way he finished the Vikings off so satisfying. After going an abysmal 3-for-11 with just 12 yards, Baker orchestrated a touchdown drive at the end of the first half that sparked the Bucs to rally. He also figured out the Vikings defensive signals on the fly, something that flexed his football IQ in ways that almost nobody was expecting.
As Pat McAfee put it later in the week, the performance we saw in Week 1 is not the Baker Mayfield we're used to seeing -- or the one everyone buried this offseason. He'll be going up against a Bears defense that allowed 245 yards and three touchdowns to Jordan Love in a game that fans in Chicago were prepared to exorcise demons with.
If the Bucs want to keep taking strides forward and proving the doubters wrong, they'll need not another good performance from Baker but one that continues to build on what appears to be something special that he's reigniting within himself in Tampa Bay.