In his first nine games as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield has been sacked 16 times, and never more than three times in one contest. The Buccaneers are tied for the fourth-fewest sacks given up in 2023 and rank fifth in sacks allowed per pass play. Offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, have been particularly strong in pass protection, giving Mayfield an opportunity to settle into Tampa Bay’s evolving offense under new coordinator Dave Canales.
As they try to continue providing Mayfield with that type of protection, the Buccaneers’ blockers will face perhaps their biggest challenge of the season on Sunday when they take on the San Francisco 49ers.
“I would say our whole line pass rush-wise, protecting when we know we have to drop back and throw the ball, they’ve done a great job,” said Mayfield. “Obviously, Tristan is an All-Pro guy and his transition from right to left has made my life a lot easier. Luke has played great at right [tackle], too. Having those guys to be able to protect, it means the world, knowing that you don’t have to just go, ‘One, two, three,’ and get the ball out. You can actually go through your reads and trust it. At the same time, against a team like this, if the first couple of reads aren’t there, I’ve got to check it down or get out and find positive yards.”
Canales generally wants Mayfield to operate with a clock in his head that tells him to get rid of the ball or move to by time if he hasn’t thrown it by 2.7 seconds after the snap. He might not even have that much time on occasion Sunday against a 49ers defensive front that features 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa on the outside and coveted free agent acquisition Javon Hargrave on the inside. Those two are tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks each, but that front also includes such former first-round picks as Arik Armstead, Chase Young, Javon Kinlaw and Clelin Ferrell.
San Francisco has 23 sacks through nine games, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of how their loaded front has affected games. The 49ers have applied pressure on opposing quarterbacks on 40.4% of their dropbacks, good for fifth best in the league, and they’ve done it with the fifth lowest blitz rate.
“It’s one of those things like when you write down your scouting report and you do the Eagles and you do the 49ers – their two-deep on the front, to say the least it’s damn impressive,” said Mayfield. “So, when…
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