Tampa Bay will be without its starting quarterback for a short stretch after Baker Mayfield injured the thumb on his throwing hand late in the Buccaneers’ 23-16 Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield is expected to miss about three weeks. A Monday MRI showed no broken bones and no damage to ligaments or tendons, ESPN reported.
Tampa Bay’s next three opponents are the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bowles’ timeline suggests Mayfield should be ready for the Oct. 25 game against the Carolina Panthers.
The injury happened with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-13 while trailing by four, Mayfield extended the play but was hit as he threw; Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted the pass. Mayfield was seen in obvious pain, clutching his right hand and yelling, then left the field with trainers and went to the locker room.
Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels stepped in on the Buccaneers’ following possession. He rushed once for nine yards and went 0-for-3 passing, including a Hail Mary that Isaiah Rodgers intercepted.
Before leaving, Mayfield had completed 17 of 34 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Buccaneers have struggled out of the gate, dropping their first three games to the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Vikings to fall to 0-3. Just three weeks prior, Mayfield had signed a three-year extension averaging $55 million per year, tying him for the No. 3 highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
This is Tampa Bay’s first 0-3 start since 2014, and according to CBS Sports Research they are the sixth team in the last decade to open 0-3 with all three losses decided by one score.
Fan Take: This matters because losing a starting QB, even briefly, can expose roster depth and alter a team’s short-term playoff outlook—especially for a franchise that just invested heavily in its quarterback. If backups struggle or the injury lingers, it could shift Tampa Bay’s season trajectory and force tougher roster decisions down the road.
Source: www.cbssports.com
