Rewritten: Written by STEVE MEGARGEE, AP Sports Writer.

GREEN BAY, Wis.

Baker Mayfield turned his luck around at Lambeau Field in December while playing for a new team with playoff aspirations in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

On Sunday, Mayfield had 381 passing yards and four touchdowns, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their third consecutive victory with a score of 34-20 against the Green Bay Packers. The Bucs (7-7) are tied with the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South, as the Saints defeated the New York Giants in their home game.

“As discussed, our playoff mindset was to enter with a clear goal and figure out a way to secure a victory,” stated Mayfield. “And we achieved just that.”

In consecutive seasons, Mayfield has played against the Packers at Lambeau Field in December. However, each time he was on a different team. In 2021, he threw four interceptions in Cleveland’s 24-22 loss on Christmas Day. He was also the starting quarterback for Los Angeles when they lost 24-12 on December 19th last year.

On Sunday, Mayfield was sacked a total of five times, which was the same as his previous visits to Lambeau Field. However, he had a much better performance, completing 22 out of 28 passes and achieving a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Mayfield, a fan of former Packers quarterback Brett Favre since childhood, stated confidently that the third time is indeed lucky.

Mayfield made scoring throws of 19 yards to Mike Evans, 26 yards to Rachaad White, 2 yards to Ko Kieft, and 52 yards to David Moore.

Chris Godwin made 10 receptions for a total of 155 yards. White ran for 89 yards and also caught two passes for 50 yards.

The Green Bay Packers (6-8) suffered their second consecutive loss, significantly damaging their chances of making the playoffs. Quarterback Jordan Love completed 29 out of 39 passes for 284 yards and threw touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.

The Packers’ defense was unable to defend against Mayfield, the top pick in the 2018 draft who has revived his career with his fourth team.

“We were outmatched in every aspect of the game – our opponents outcoached and outplayed us,” stated Packers coach Matt LaFleur. He expressed his disappointment with the result.

After the Packers suffered a 24-22 loss to the New York Giants, Mayfield was able to successfully dismantle Green Bay’s defense in the following week. This came after the Packers allowed a last-minute drive that led to Randy Bullock’s game-winning field goal as time ran out.

After the loss on Sunday, LaFleur was questioned about the possibility of replacing defensive coordinator Joe Barry while the season is still ongoing.

“To be completely truthful, this is not the appropriate moment for that,” stated LaFleur.

Afterwards, LaFleur stated, “I am attempting to discover potential resolutions. I need to review the footage.”

In the previous two weeks, Mayfield completed 14 out of 29 passes. However, in the current game, he started off with seven consecutive completions and went on to throw three touchdown passes in the second half for Tampa Bay. The Bucs ended their last drive by kneeling at the Green Bay 11-yard line.

Mayfield committed a turnover on his own 4-yard line, leading to a touchdown for Green Bay in the first quarter. However, this was his only significant error. In the previous week, Mayfield successfully threw a touchdown pass of 11 yards to Cade Otton in the final 31 seconds of a 29-25 win against Atlanta.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles expressed his admiration for the quarterback, acknowledging his mental strength, ability to make plays on the field, toughness, and leadership. Bowles praised him for consistently meeting expectations and making all the right choices. The coach’s admiration for the quarterback was evident in his words.

Mayfield led the Bucs to scoring range for a 46-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin right before halftime, giving Tampa Bay the lead. The Bucs then strengthened their lead to 20-10 with a touchdown pass from Mayfield to White after forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half.

On the following drive, Green Bay responded when Love evaded pressure and connected with Reed in the end zone’s right corner for a 17-yard gain on third-and-15. Tampa Bay had a response of their own, with Kieft scoring on his first reception of the season.

Following a 33-yard field goal by Anders Carlson that brought the score to 27-20 in favor of the Packers with 10:04 remaining, Mayfield connected with Moore on a short pass that resulted in a 52-yard touchdown. This marked Moore’s first touchdown since 2020, when he was a member of the Seattle team.

On third-and-4, Moore scored a touchdown. Tampa Bay successfully converted 7 out of 11 third downs and 1 out of 1 fourth down.

Evans stated that they observed strategies on film and successfully implemented them. They believe that if they can maintain strong performance on crucial plays and in the red zone, they will be a formidable opponent.

INJURIES

The Buccaneers’ cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive lineman William Gholston were absent from the game due to a groin and knee/ankle injury, respectively.

The Packers’ Reed injured his toe during the second half of the game. Jaire Alexander (shoulder) has now missed six consecutive games, while Christian Watson (hamstring) sat out for a second time. Darnell Savage (shoulder) was also absent from the game.

UP NEXT

The Buccaneers will be hosting the Jacksonville team next Sunday.

The Packers will be traveling to Carolina next Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Source: wralsportsfan.com