The stat that should worry Bucs fans: Baker Mayfield has fumbled the ball 35 times since 2023 — more than any quarterback in football.
A day after Tampa Bay's turnover-plagued loss to Cincinnati, Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick dig deeper into what went wrong and why it's not just a one-week problem. Todd Bowles blitzed on more than 40% of snaps — the third-highest rate in the league — and still generated almost no pressure on Joe Burrow outside of rookie Josiah Trotter's historic sack-and-pick-six. Rick breaks down a bizarre blown defensive alignment late in the first half that left the entire middle of the field open and let Burrow scramble 12 yards untouched, and explains why Alex Anzalone's rough debut — slow, out of position, exploited over the middle by Cincinnati's tight end — has him wondering if Detroit knew something by letting him walk. They also weigh whether Baker's competitiveness and refusal to "play boring" is now a real liability worth $165 million, and look at how much of Sunday's 33-27 result actually came down to two backbreaking fumbles worth a 14-point swing.
Then it's on to a wide-open NFC South and NFL Week 1 chaos around the league, before previewing Sunday's home opener against Cleveland — where Deshaun Watson, not Shedeur Sanders, looks likely to start against a Bucs team Todd Monken knows well. Plus a Rays mailbag: their magic number is down to 10 with six home games left, and Rick and Steve debate why national experts still see the Yankees, not Tampa Bay, as the AL's team to beat.
In this episode:
- Baker Mayfield's fumble problem, by the numbers: 35 since 2023
- The blown coverage that let Joe Burrow scramble 12 yards untouched
- Why Alex Anzalone's rough debut has Rick asking hard questions
- Todd Bowles' blitz rate vs. the Bucs' near-zero pass rush
- Bucs-Browns preview: why Deshaun Watson is expected to start for Cleveland
- Rays mailbag: magic number at 10, and the case for Tampa Bay over the Yankees
Send your mailbag questions to @SportsDayTB on X or email rstroud@tampabay.com. And get on down to Breitling Boutique at International Plaza — mention Sports Day Tampa Bay when you go.
#TampaBayBucs #BakerMayfield #TampaBayRays #NFL #MLB
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