Lions
Update, October 23: Baker Mayfield is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina after three full practices, and Todd Bowles said on Friday he expects Mayfield to start. Mayfield will wear a glove on his throwing hand (Buccaneers.com, theScore, October 23).
Key facts
- Baker Mayfield (right thumb) was a full participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina (Buccaneers.com, October 23).
- Todd Bowles said on Friday, October 23, that he expects Mayfield to start, and Mayfield will wear a glove on his throwing hand (theScore, October 23).
- Mayfield dislocated the thumb on a fourth-and-13 pass with 1:54 left in the 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on September 27, and has missed three games since (ESPN, NFL.com, Buccaneers.com).
- Before the injury Mayfield had started 57 consecutive games (Buccaneers.com, October 21).
- Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels has started the last three games and is 1-2 as a starter after throwing two interceptions in the 26-19 overtime loss to the Steelers (CBS Sports, October 19).
The Friday question is answered, but the designation is not final: the inactives come out 90 minutes before kickoff. Mayfield has missed three games since dislocating his right thumb in Week 3. He first practiced fully on Wednesday, October 21, and repeated it on Thursday and Friday.
How the week went
The Buccaneers listed Mayfield (right thumb) as a full participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He threw well on Wednesday, according to Buccaneers.com, and Pewter Report described a decent amount of throwing plus ball-security drills. Bowles said Mayfield kept the glove on for the whole practice and that it felt good (Buccaneers.com, Pewter Report).
Bowles called Wednesday's session encouraging (Buccaneers.com). Before the injury Mayfield had started 57 consecutive games.
How it happened
The injury came on a fourth-and-13 play with 1:54 remaining and Tampa Bay trailing 20-16 against Minnesota on September 27. Mayfield scrambled toward the right sideline, evaded pressure and threw as Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman closed in and hit his throwing hand. The pass was intercepted by Andrew Van Ginkel, sealing the win, and Mayfield walked off with the training staff. He finished 17 of 34 for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception, in the game recapped in Buccaneers lose to Minnesota Vikings 16-23.
X-rays showed no fracture, and Mayfield had an MRI on Monday, September 28 (ESPN, JoeBucsFan). He has missed three games since.
Daniels in the meantime
Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, out of Kansas, has started the last three games and is 1-2 as a starter. In the 26-19 overtime loss to the Steelers on October 18 he threw two interceptions, as covered in our Week 6 recap (CBS Sports). Our Daniels profile has his path to the roster.
Quarterback | Status for Panthers | Latest |
|---|---|---|
Baker Mayfield | Questionable, expected to start | Full participant Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with a glove |
Jalon Daniels | Backup | Started Weeks 4, 5 and 6, 1-2 as a starter |
Source: Buccaneers.com, theScore, CBS Sports, October 19 to 23.
What comes next
Tampa Bay, 1-5, plays at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 PM ET. That is 18:00 CET in Central Europe, as Europe moves to winter time that night. The how to watch guide has the details, and the full schedule has the rest of the season.
Mayfield returns without Emeka Egbuka, Luke Goedeke and Antoine Winfield Jr., who are all out, as our Week 7 injury report shows. Three full practices and a head coach who expects him to start settle the quarterback question as far as it can be settled before Sunday.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.