The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were desperate to seal a win against the Minnesota Vikings after losing games back-to-back in the past two weeks. But instead of bringing home a victory, they lost 23-16 to Minnesota. Their defeat hurts more as they now move forward with an injured quarterback.
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“#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield appears to injury his right thumb after this INT to allow the #Vikings to seal a win,” reported NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
On a fourth-and-13 with under two minutes left and the Buccaneers trailing by four, Mayfield moved around in the backfield to escape pressure before throwing an interception to Andrew Van Ginkel as he was hit.
After throwing the interception, Mayfield could be heard screaming in pain during the live FOX broadcast, as his right thumb bent awkwardly. He stayed down after the play as the medical staff attended to him.
The next clip that fans saw was Mayfield heading to the locker room holding on to his right fist. The full diagnosis will come after the MRI scheduled for the following day. However, for now, “Todd Bowles said Bucs QB Baker Mayfield dislocated his right thumb and will undergo an MRI,” as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This is not the first time that he landed in a tough spot because of his throwing hand. He appeared to have injured the same hand earlier in the game, but he soon earned the confidence that he was good to go.
Considering how often he has played through injuries in the past, the reaction raised immediate concern. Throughout his NFL career, Mayfield has missed a total of four games specifically due to injury. But looks like this time some more games are going to be added to the ‘missed’ list.
As Buccaneers fans weren’t expecting their quarterback to take a hit, they flooded social media with prayers for the QB.
“Prayers up for Baker Mayfield 🙏🏾” wrote former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin.
“🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾,” wrote a fan.
“Get well soon. Bucs aren’t going anywhere without him,” read a comment.
“@StevenCheah devastating,” wrote another.
“Get well soon. Bucs season lowkey over,” a fan wrote.
The timing of losing Mayfield compounds the Buccaneers’ woes even more. They had to count on undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels to hold the reins in Mayfield’s absence for the last 28 seconds. The Vikings sealed a 23-16 victory after intercepting Daniels’ Hail Mary attempt.
Already, Tampa Bay is in a tricky spot, with a disappointing 0-3 win-loss record this time. With Mayfield now sidelined, they might lose their lifeline to script a turnaround this season.