By james art Todd Bowles could barely contain his laughter when asked to share his thoughts on Baker Mayfield’s mobility and running ability.
The normally stoic Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach bristled when a questioner suggested his quarterback might not be as elusive as Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Washington’s Jaden Daniels or Buffalo’s Josh Allen, but is still capable of making game-changing plays in motion.
“He’s fourth, let’s say, behind those three guys,” Bowles said, still smiling. “He’s mobile enough to get the yards we need.
“You don’t have to be a fast quarterback to be a mobile quarterback,” the coach added. “He knows when to run and he’s great at it.”
Mayfield, who faces Jackson and the AFC North-leading Ravens on Monday night, agrees that he will never be confused with being one of the best running backs at his position.
But that didn’t stop him from straying from the pocket when needed while helping the Bucs (4-2) to a strong start that has tied his team atop the NFC South.
“There is no way I would put myself in that category with those guys. It amazes me when you can watch some of these guys on tape. Lamar, Jaden, Josh, the things they can do, extending the game, just the vision they have, it’s a gift from God,” Mayfield said. “I’ll do what I can, but it’s not at this level.”
Jackson, a two-time MVP, is playing perhaps the best football of his career, and the Ravens (4-2) have won four straight after an 0-2 start.
Mayfield has thrown for 1,489 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns. Baltimore leads the NFL in rushing and total offense, with Jackson passing for 1,529 yards and 10 TDs and running for 403 yards and two more scores.
The quarterbacks have known each other since they were both Heisman Trophy winners in college, with Jackson receiving the award in 2016 and Mayfield winning it the following season.
Mayfield was the first pick in the 2018 draft. Jackson entered the NFL that year as the last selection of the first round.
The Ravens star said he has no extra motivation against a quarterback from his draft class Monday night.
“No, I just want to win. I go out there and look at every game the same way. (Mayfield) is an amazing quarterback, he’s been since college since I’ve known him — even going back to the Heisman,” Jackson said.
“You could say we have a connection a little bit over there. But outside of football, I’m not really around other quarterbacks. … I love his game. He’s still the same guy from what I can see,” Jackson added. “From afar, he’s still the same Baker.”
What a statistic
Jackson is 22-1 against NFC opponents, including 2-0 against Tampa Bay. That’s the best quarterback mark against an opposing conference in NFL history.
“Probably because we see each other (occasionally) so it’s hard to game plan for us,” Jackson explained. “(It’s) a little bit of everything.”
Don’t forget about him
The third Heisman winner, running back Derrick Henry (2015), was a huge factor in Baltimore’s success with a league-leading 704 yards and eight TDs rushing.
“It’s always fun to see these guys. You go from shooting for a few days in the offseason, seeing them, catching up, and then just watching them and obviously trying to root for them in the offseason when you’re not playing them,” Mayfield said of Jackson and Henry.
“Obviously bringing in Derrick is a huge addition for them. I mean, he’s a monster,” Mayfield added. “Our team has to know what to expect, but we just have to react and find a way to win.”
What is this about consistency?
The Ravens lead the NFL with 1,232 rushing yards this season and have rushed for at least 150 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground in every game.
They enter Monday night 168 yards short of becoming the fourth team since 1980 to start a season with at least 1,400 yards in their first seven games.
The others are the 1984 Chicago Bears (1,508), the 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,476) and the 2019 Ravens (1,429).
Henry has run for at least one TD in every game this season. With a rushing TD against the Bucs, he would become the first player since Emmitt Smith in 1994 to score on the ground in each of his team’s first seven games.
Taking pressure off the defense
The Bucs, coming off a 51-point game in New Orleans, are one of the NFL’s highest-scoring teams. They are averaging 29.7 points per game, up from 20.4 last season.