Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield left the field at Raymond James Stadium dejected after Tampa fell to the Commanders 23-20 to end their playoff run as quickly as it started.
The agony of defeat for Mayfield likely felt a bit harsher after his fourth-quarter fumble changed the course of the NFC wild-card round game for the Buccaneers, setting up a go-ahead touchdown for the Commanders and helping to set the stage for the game-winning field goal that would come later in the quarter on Sunday night.
“It comes back to me,” Mayfield told reporters after the game about the fumble. “Just timing it out correctly. First one all year that happened on. Obviously timing on it not great. Being back up. Defense did just a hell of a job just getting us the ball. Another fourth down stop and unfortunate, but that [fumble] falls on me.”
The fumble came four plays after Tampa Bay stopped Washington on fourth and goal from the 3-yard line.
Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, left, recovers a fumble by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, right, during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025AP
On a first-and-10 on their own 15-yard-line, Mayfield went for what appeared to be a play-action but instead fumbled the ball as Jalen McMillan came across for the fake handoff.
