Baker Mayfield was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and now, is considered one of the NFL‘s top quarterbacks. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB’s postseason record doesn’t accurately reflect his talent.
The 29-year-old hasn’t gone past the Divisional Round in his career. The Bucs have made it to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and second with Mayfield. This time, however, Mayfield and the Buccaneers are looking for a deeper run. But it starts with a visit from the Washington Commanders on Sunday night of Wild Card Weekend.
Baker Mayfield’s Playoff Record
Mayfield has a 2-2 record in the playoffs entering the 2024 NFL postseason. If the Bucs want to reach the Super Bowl, he must take his game to the next level.
Mayfield played his first playoff game for the Cleveland Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 Wild Card round. He led Cleveland to its first postseason victory since 1995, going 21 of 34 for 263 yards and adding three touchdowns in a convincing 48-31 victory on the road.
The Browns met the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round a week later. Mayfield totaled 204 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the game, but Cleveland fell short against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, 22-17.
In his first season with the franchise, Mayfield helped the Buccaneers reach the playoffs in 2023. It was also the first time he was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Last year, the Bucs faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs after clinching their third straight NFC South title. Mayfield went for 22 of 38 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns in his third career playoff game, and Tampa Bay crushed the defending NFC champions by a score of 32-9.
The Buccaneers then went up against the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round, in which Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers fell short and were knocked out of the playoffs.
Mayfield had a career-best season in 2024, fueled by his effectiveness targeting the middle of the field. He threw between the numbers at the seventh-highest rate in the regular season (48.2%) and averaged the sixth-best EPA (expected points added) per dropback on those plays (0.38).
This strength could be pivotal against the Commanders, who have struggled to defend the middle of the field. Washington ranks 29th in yards per attempt allowed (8.8) and 26th in EPA per play (-0.36) on passes thrown between the numbers.
In their Week 1 meeting, Mayfield capitalized on this weakness, completing 9 of 11 passes for 99 yards (9.0 yards per attempt) and averaging 0.70 EPA per dropback on throws between the numbers — his fifth-best performance in that area all season.
Mayfield will suit up against Washington having thrown multiple touchdown passes in five straight games, which is his second such streak this season. Contrarily, Mayfield finished the year tied with Kirk Cousins for the most interceptions thrown this season (16).
Despite the high interception count, Mayfield is the sixth-ranked quarterback in the NFL in PFN’s QB+ metric, with a grade of 88.4 (B+). This metric assigns a letter grade to every quarterback’s performance and factors in several stats, such as success rate when pressured, third-down conversion rate, pocket production, and clutch performance.