TAMPA — The Buccaneers are 4-5 at the halfway point of Baker Mayfield's first season as starting quarterback. Tampa Bay trails Atlanta (5-5) by a half game for first place in the NFC South, and Mayfield's the highest-rated quarterback in the division. The 28-year-old says he has no regrets signing a one-year contract with the Bucs this offseason.
"It has been really clear about what they want to get done and about where we’re headed, and as these games have gone, offensively for us, just about how we’ve grown within the system," Mayfield said at his weekly press conference. "It’s been, ‘This is where we want to be at and this is what we want to get done.’ When it’s clear and concise, I can fall in line no matter what. We’re all just trying to get better each day as an offense and try to continue to improve."
He added that any news of a possible contract extension is news to him.
"Not that I know of. For me, I’m just taking it one game at a time and the rest will fall into place."
The Bucs face their toughest test of the season this week when they travel to San Francisco to take on the 6-3 49ers. San Francisco has one of the most talented defensive units in the NFL, and they're giving up the second-fewest points in the league (15.9).
"We’ve just got to have a good plan, a concise plan, to know how we want to attack these guys," Mayfield explained. "They’re really good, so we have to expect that they’re going to give us some fits and some challenges on different things. We’ve just got to gameplan and find out ways to stay ahead of the chains."
One way to stay ahead of the chains is getting the ball the receiver Chris Godwin. Godwin has a team-high 44 catches this season, but he only has one touchdown. Despite his lack of scoring plays, Godwin says he still has faith in the Bucs offensive scheme.
"I think just the way the offense is flowing right now, I’m more concerned with us getting on track offensively and getting wins than I am about my own individual stats," Godwin said after practice. "As we get better, you know, at the critical downs, like third down or red zone, I’m sure opportunities for me to get in the in zone will present themselves."
The 49ers are ranked third in total offense. That's a stat that isn't lost on Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles.
"They’ve got a lot more weapons and they’ve got a lot more [yards-after-catch] guys than we’ve faced recently. All of them can do a lot of things," Bowles said. "Obviously, [George] Kittle is in there, as well. We’ve just got to be able to tackle. We’ve got to be where we need to be at the right time and we’ve got to gang tackle."
Tampa Bay and San Francisco kick off Sunday at 4:05 P.M. from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The two teams have split their last four match-ups.
