Baker Mayfield is not dealing with his setback against the Minnesota Vikings alone. In addition to losing their third game in a row, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also lost their star quarterback to a painful thumb injury on Sunday. And at such a time of crisis for the team, Mayfield’s wife, Emily, penned a short, sweet note on social media to lift his spirits.
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“So proud of my guy,” Emily wrote on her IG story on Monday. “Never stops grinding. And leaves it all out there every single week. Absolutely hate seeing him hurt, but if anyone will bounce back, it’s Bake.”
The support came in after Mayfield hurt his right thumb against the Vikings. The injury happened late in the fourth quarter when he tried to make a desperation throw on fourth down. His throwing hand hit Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman, and Mayfield immediately went down in pain with a dislocated thumb.
At first, X-rays did not show a fracture. Still, the Buccaneers wanted to take a closer look and ordered an MRI to see if there was any other damage to his thumb. Though they did not spot any major damage, coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield will be out for at least three weeks.
However, this isn’t the first time Emily Mayfield has taken a stand for her man. She defended him after the Browns’ 13-10 win over the Lions in 2021. Baker was playing through a shoulder injury, and Emily praised how tough he was during the game. In a deleted Instagram story, she also called on the rest of the Browns team to show the same toughness.
“No one better say anything bad about @bakermayfield after this game. I don’t think I have seen toughness like this in a while,” Emily Mayfield wrote in an IG story (per CBS). “Maybe the rest of our team should take the hint and get tougher.”
This time, his injury also raised questions over his playing style. Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians appeared on “Up & Adams” on the NFL Network and raised the issue.
“They’re not making the plays that were there,” Arians said. “There are times when they’re there, and they’re not making them. The offensive line is one of the best in the league, and he’s got to quit doing this (during video clip of Mayfield’s late fourth quarter interception). Just throw the damn ball away. And that’s not his nature. I know, but this is how he always gets hurt.”
Mayfield’s injury now puts the Buccaneers in a tough spot. They have only two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, and the other one is undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. When he replaced Mayfield against the Vikings on Sunday, he went 0-for-3 with an interception.
So, it all hangs by a thread for the team.