Pro Football Rumors
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a sprain to his left, non-throwing shoulder on Sunday against the Rams, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Mayfield left midway through the game and did not return to the field. He could be seen on the sidelines sporting a sling on his left arm as backup Teddy Bridgewater closed out the 34-7 loss. Bridgewater would start if Mayfield has to miss any time.
An MRI on Monday confirmed the initial suspicion that Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint. The sprain is considered “low-grade” (via Rapoport) and there was no additional damage to Mayfield’s shoulder, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 30-year-old’s status for next week’s game against the Cardinals is still up in the air, but he appears to have avoided a major injury that could have seriously threatened the Buccaneers’ playoff chances.
After a strong start to the season, Tampa Bay’s lead in the NFC South has evaporated. At 6-5, they are now tied for first place with Carolina, and though the Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker, they have lost three straight while the Panthers have won five of their last seven. An absence from Mayfield would be a huge blow to an offense that floundered without him on Sunday, though the Bucs do have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the year. Their next three opponents are a combined 9-24 on the season; after that are two crucial matchups with the Panthers with a game against the 4-7 Dolphins.
Mayfield’s Week 13 status is still up in the air, but he has played through a number of injuries in his career. Since the injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, he may choose to wear a brace or some other protective equipment and attempt to take the field in Week 13 anyway. Tampa Bay could also try to beat the 3-8 Cardinals next week without Mayfield in the hopes that a week off will give his shoulder enough time to heal up for the final stretch of the year.
