ClutchPoints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrive at Ford Field on Monday night as 4.5-point underdogs, but their status as road dogs shouldn’t intimidate anyone who’s watched Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield operate in 2025. At 5-1 and sitting atop the NFC standings, the Buccaneers possess the firepower to pull off an upset against the 4-2 Detroit Lions in what promises to be a pivotal NFC showdown. Two critical X-factors could be the difference between a statement victory and a missed opportunity: Mayfield’s elite efficiency under the primetime lights and the potential return of future Hall of Famer Mike Evans from a three-game absence.
Baker Mayfield has transformed himself into one of the NFL’s most clutch quarterbacks, and his 2025 campaign represents the apex of his career resurgence. Through six games, Mayfield has compiled 1,539 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception while posting a sterling 108.5 passer rating that ranks among the league’s elite. Perhaps most impressively, he’s completed 66.2% of his passes despite missing three of his top receivers for significant stretches.
Mayfield’s mastery in high-leverage situations makes him particularly dangerous on Monday Night Football. In 2025, he boasts a 5-1 record in primetime games, averaging 256.5 passing yards per contest with 12 touchdowns against only one interception. His two most recent performances showcase exactly why Detroit’s defense should be concerned. In Week 5 against Seattle, Mayfield torched the Seahawks for 379 yards and two touchdowns while completing an absurd 87.9% of his passes en route to a 134.7 passer rating. One week later against San Francisco, he followed up with 256 yards, two more scores, and a 139.0 rating while completing 73.9% of his attempts.
What makes Mayfield so dangerous against Detroit is his ability to exploit linebacker coverage—precisely the weakness Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs exposed in Week 6. Mahomes completed 13 of 17 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown when targeting Lions linebackers Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone, with Travis Kelce feasting on mismatches to the tune of six catches for 78 yards. Campbell surrendered five receptions for 66 yards in that contest, while Anzalone gave up six catches for 56 yards. The Chiefs essentially provided a blueprint for attacking Detroit’s defense by keeping the Lions in base packages and targeting linebackers in coverage.
Mayfield has the weapons and tactical acumen to replicate that approach. Even without several key offensive contributors, he’s demonstrated an uncanny ability to find open receivers and make defenses pay for coverage breakdowns. His fourth-quarter performance has been particularly impressive, completing 64.3% of passes for 426 yards and two touchdowns in the final frame this season. Against a Lions defense that has allowed the seventh-most passing yards in the league while ranking 25th in pass defense, Mayfield should have ample opportunities to carve up Detroit’s secondary and exploit those vulnerable linebackers.
Bucs hopeful Mike Evans (hamstring) returns to practice this week.
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