TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Harassed all day by Minnesota's menacing pass rush, Baker Mayfield fled the pocket again — this time scrambling and weaving more 20 yards backward before launching a desperation heave that was intercepted. Even worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the quarterback's throwing hand glanced off the arm of linebacker Blake Cashman on the follow-through.
“He's got a dislocated thumb. He's going to have an MRI (Monday) just to see exactly
what inside is wrong with it,” coach Todd Bowles said after Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Vikings, which left the Bucs winless through three games for the first time since 2014.
While X-rays didn't show a break in the right thumb, Bowles stressed the team will not know the severity of the injury until after the MRI.
Mayfield left Raymond James Stadium without speaking to the media.
The Bucs have lost 10 of 12 games dating to last season and the two-time Pro Bowl selection, who has resurrected his career since joining Tampa Bay in 2023, has not played well since signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension less than a week before the season opener.
Tampa Bay's offense scored two touchdowns in a season-opening loss to Cincinnati and one in a loss to Cleveland. Mayfield connected with rookie Ted Hurst III for 40-yard TD in the opening quarter Sunday, but he failed to get the Bucs into the end zone again against the Vikings.
Mayfield finished 17 of 34 for 217 yards and was sacked six times. He had an 85-yard scoring pass to Chris Godwin nullified by a holding penalty in the third quarter.
The last time the Bucs started 0-3, they went on to finish 2-14 and selected Jameis Winston with the first overall pick in the following draft.
“The funny thing is we're 0-3 and we're a game out of first place. We have to get our stuff together, reach down ... do more and figure out how we can be better,” said Bowles, who entered the season on the hot seat after dropping seven of nine games following a 6-2 start in 2025.
The coach defended his decision to leave the offense on the field for the play that resulted in Mayfield's injury.
Trailing 20-16, the Bucs faced fourth-and-13 from their own 39 with just under two minutes remaining. Mayfield retreated all the way inside the Bucs 15 before launching a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Five plays later, Will Reichard kicked a 43-yard field goal to put Minnesota up by seven with 33 seconds left.
“At the end of the game, we needed the play,” Bowles said of the decision to go for it on fourth down. “We would've gotten the ball back with very little time. We had to make a play.”
Rookie Jalon Daniels replaced Mayfield for the final series, which ended with a fourth-down interception as time expired. If Mayfield is unable to play next Sunday, the rookie likely would make his first pro start against the Packers.
“We haven't really gotten into it yet. We'll see what the MRI says, and then we'll kind of talk amongst ourselves and kind of see,” Bowles said. “But right now, Jalon would probably go in.”
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