Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles received some criticism for leaving quarterback Baker Mayfield and other starters in what became a blowout 30-7 win at the New York Giants on Sunday both before and after Mayfield was evaluated for a stinger in the game’s fourth quarter.
On Monday, Bowles explained his mindset regarding why he risked Mayfield’s health after the contest’s outcome had been decided.
“He wanted to finish the game,” Bowles said, per the Buccaneers’ website. “…We don’t have a bunch of guys. We tried to finish the ballgame on offense. He was just handing it off [on the play the signal-caller suffered the stinger]. You want your leaders in there to finish the ballgame. We were trying to get a first down, so everybody was out there playing.”
In October, some analysts and fans ripped Bowles after wide receiver Chris Godwin went down with a gruesome dislocated left ankle while playing late in a game that Tampa Bay lost by 10 points. Nevertheless, Bowles seemingly has no regrets about how he handled Mayfield at MetLife Stadium on Sunday even though the Buccaneers entered the fourth quarter of that matchup holding a 30-0 lead.
“He can start the game and get hurt, so there’s no preservation in football,” Bowles said. “If we were up 50-0 by the end of the third quarter or something like that, yeah, you’d probably take guys out.”
Against the Giants, Mayfield completed 24-of-30 passes for 294 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed for a score and then taunted the hosts when he performed the celebration made famous by Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito last season.
As of Monday afternoon, the NFL website pointed out that 5-6 Tampa Bay has a 52 percent chance to qualify for the playoffs. The Buccaneers can get back to .500 by notching a win at the 3-8 Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
On Monday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Tampa Bay as a six-point favorite for the game held at Bank of America Stadium.
