2026 is quickly going from bad to worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers lost again on Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings. They fell 23-16 in front of their home crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. to fall to 0-3 (making Tampa Bay the only winless team left in the NFC).
To add insult to injury for the Buccaneers (or perhaps the other way around), starting quarterback Baker Mayfield had to exit in the fouth quarter after hurting his thumb on a throw. On a 4th-and-13 play with under 2 minutes to go, Mayfield was pressured by Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman and others and ended up throwing a pick.
Instant replay showed that Mayfield smacked his right thumb on Cashman’s arm as he was firing the pass. Mayfield immediately crumpled to the turf in agony as a result and could be heard yelling in pain.
Baker Mayfield injured on this play. Screaming in pain#MINvsTB pic.twitter.com/mL5GvYzGjh
— crunchypuddle (@crunchypuddle1) September 27, 2026
Here is closer angle of the injury.
Baker Mayfield went down in significant pain after appearing to injure his thumb: pic.twitter.com/KAhgwjSCkq
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 27, 2026
Mayfield was replaced in the game by backup quarterback Jalon Daniels for the final drive of the game. Daniels ended up throwing an interception of his own though with eight seconds left to seal Tampa Bay’s fate.
Just a few weeks ago, the Buccaneers made the two-time Pro Bowler Mayfield one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL with a monstrous new extension. But now the team is still winless three games into the season and will be anxiously awaiting word on the structural integrity of Mayfield’s throwing thumb.
