FLOWERY BRANCH — Baker Mayfield is doing a credible job at quarterback for the Bucs after the retirement of Tom Brady.
He has completed 260 of 409 passes for 2,790 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a passer rating of 90 and has been sacked 27 times.
“Well, I think he’s doing a really good job,” Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said. “He gets his reads. He understands where he’s going.”
In the Falcons’ 16-13 on Oct. 22, Mayfield completed 27 of 42 passes for 275 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He finished with a 81 passer rating and was sacked three times.
“We know his go-to guy is Mike Evans, but he’s still spreading the ball around,” Gray said. “He’s doing a really good job of doing that. Earlier, you could tell they were kind of a little bit more vanilla, just trying to get used to the game. But now, you can tell he’s got complete control of it.”
Mayfield has the Falcons’ attention.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” cornerback Jeff Okudah said. “He fires them up. They rally behind him. We have to be ready to play at a high level on Sunday.”
Falcons safety Richie Grant had the interception in the previous meeting, while Jessie Bates III has had interceptions in each of the past two games.
“Baker got out on a couple of sacks that he had him bottle up,” Bates said. “Then that explosive play (40-yard TD) to Michael Evans. Just having awareness of every time he’s on the field, now where he’s at.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
About the Author
