Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are off to a strong start after the 30-year-old quarterback won his first Prime-Time game with Tampa. However, behind this optimism, the dark clouds of injuries over both the offensive and defensive lines are looming. And right at the center of it? It’s Mayfield himself.

Without any doubt, it’s safe to say that the Texans had an edge over the Bucs throughout the Week 2 showdown. And there’s no denying that Mayfield pulled the game in the final few minutes, leading the Bucs to a 20-19 comeback win. But the question is: At what cost? The broadcast showed that the 30-year-old QB tweaked his knee a couple of times during the game.

One in the first half, which was followed by another late in the fourth quarter. During the latter part, Mayfield was sacked by the Texans’ Danielle Hunter, went down, and grabbed his knee. The severity of his knee complication at that time, however, wasn’t clear. But fast forward a few hours after the game, and Todd Bowles addressed his quarterback’s knee issues.

Bowles admitted that Mayfield is “sore,” and the team will assess his condition later in the day. The way Bowles put it, we can assume that Mayfield’s knee complications might not hinder the Buccaneers’ season. After all, despite a knee soreness, Mayfield completed 25-of-38 passing for 215 yards and two TDs, leading the Buccaneers to a comeback win, thanks to the last two-minute heroics.

“In these two-minute, close games, we were not on the right side of things for the past couple years,” Mayfield said after the game. “It’s good to see that we haven’t even played close to our best ball in all three phases and we’re still finding ways to win on the road.” It was the second instance when Mayfield tallied a game-winning touchdown this season. Tampa Bay was down 19-14 with just a little over two minutes remaining.

The tension was palpable, but Mayfield stayed calm when he scrambled for 15 yards to convert the first down at fourth-and-10 at their own 32, which was followed by a couple of short passes to Bucky Irving. A 22-yarder and an 18-yarder, to be specific. With the clock ticking down, Rachaad White now had a job to do, and he sure did.

He took the handoff and racked it up for a 2-yard touchdown. Final score: 20-19. The Bucs won. Though there’s no denying the injuries came into play, at the end of the day, Baker Mayfield and his team walked out with a 2-0 record.

Todd Bowles addressed the injured offensive and defensive lines

With just two weeks in the regular season, the Buccaneers’ offensive and defensive lines have been hit by multiple injuries. It all started even before the season kicked off. Tristan Wirfs went down due to arthroscopic knee surgery. The silver lining, though? He returned to practice in Week 2, and the head coach recently admitted that Wirfs wasn’t sore during the practice.

Fast forward to the Week 2 game against the Texans, and the Bucs suffered a couple of injuries. The right tackle, Luke Goedeke, was the first man leaving the field. The crystal? Goedeke reportedly suited up for the game despite a foot injury earlier this week. And as things stand, it appears that he has aggravated the same foot issue against Houston.

Meanwhile, the defensive line also took a hit when Calijah Kancey suffered a pectoral injury in the second quarter. The 24-year-old defensive end was supposed to anchor the Bucs’ D-line, but he went down with an injury while rushing C.J. Stroud, trying to get him before he could release the ball. Following the game, the HC was expected to address Goedeke and Kancey’s injury, and he did.

Bowles confirmed that both of them are scheduled for an MRI today. As for their return timeline? It’s still unclear. First, Wirfs, then Mayfield, followed by Goedeke and Kancey, it’s safe to say that Todd Bowles had multiple injury concerns to tackle ahead of Week 3.