Baker Mayfield will never be confused with Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen when discussing the NFL’s premier rushing quarterbacks. But when it comes to keeping plays alive and making defenders miss, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has quietly become one of the league’s more elusive players at the position.
Daniel Griffis recently examined which NFL quarterbacks best avoid sacks and minimize the damage when they do get taken down. The data reinforces something that has become increasingly noticeable since Mayfield arrived in Tampa Bay: getting him on the ground is not always easy. That ability goes beyond simply scrambling for yards. Pressure-to-sack percentage measures how often pressure actually turns into a sack, helping separate offensive
line performance from a quarterback’s ability to escape trouble. Sacks can be particularly damaging; Griffis' research found that from 2020-24, a team's chances of scoring on a drive dropped from 41.2% to 23.3% when it allowed at least one sack.
Mayfield has developed a knack for slipping away from pressure, extending plays and turning what initially looks like a loss into something manageable. That has become an increasingly important part of Tampa Bay’s offense. His rushing production backs it up. Mayfield set a career high with 382 rushing yards in 2025 while averaging 7.0 yards per attempt. He also picked up 27 first downs on the ground, meaning nearly half of his 55 rushing attempts moved the chains. The numbers get even more impressive when you look specifically at his ability to make defenders miss. PFF credited Mayfield with 19 missed tackles forced on scrambles last season, second among NFL quarterbacks behind only Allen. He also ranked among the league's best quarterbacks in yards after contact per scramble attempt.
Mayfield's style as a runner is also somewhat unique. He isn't consistently outrunning defenders with elite speed. Instead, he combines enough quickness to escape the initial rush with strength, balance, and a willingness to fight through contact. That has led to some chaotic plays over his three seasons in Tampa Bay, with Mayfield ducking underneath rushers, spinning away from sacks, and somehow emerging from collapsing pockets. The Bucs obviously don't want their quarterback taking unnecessary hits, especially after Mayfield was sacked 36 times last season. But his ability to escape pressure gives Tampa Bay something that doesn't always appear in traditional passing statistics. Mayfield may not carry the label of a dual-threat quarterback, but at this point, his elusiveness is becoming too consistent to overlook.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Baker Mayfield’s elusiveness has become an underrated part of his game
