After suffering what looked like a nasty shoulder injury in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, things looked downright ugly for Baker Mayfield's on-field future.
And yet, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Mayfield might return to the field sooner than some fans might think, as he technically hasn't been ruled out for Week 13 thanks to a very encouraging MRI result.
“Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, who went down on Sunday with a sprained left shoulder, has a low-grade sprain, source said following the MRI. Good news with an eye toward next week,” Rapoport wrote.
Widely considered an MVP candidate for the Buccaneers after leading his squad to a 6-2 record early in the season, things have fallen off in a big way for Tampa Bay even before Mayfield's injury, dropping their last three games in ugly fashion to fall to 6-5 on the season. With Mayfield only able to play 39 snaps, completing nine of his 19 passes for 41 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions against the Rams, Teddy Bridgewater didn't exactly produce much better results during the second half, completing eight of his 15 passes for 62 yards against a deceptively great Los Angeles defense.
Because the Buccaneers play in the NFC South, they are still tied for first place with the Carolina Panthers, who play in Week 12 on Monday Night Football. If Mayfield can't play against an Arizona Cardinals team that has been very up-and-down in 2025, they might very well fall behind the Panthers and have to claw back into playoff relevancy once Mayfield returns to action.
