Tampa Bay Bucs announce Baker Mayfield will start Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota.
Mayfield beat out Kyle Trask for the job after he and Trask were deadlocked heading into the final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Trask had a strong showing in training camp. The one area of concern was his inability to hit the deep ball, and if you have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the roster, that has to be the one area where the quarterback excels.
Mayfield, meanwhile, struggled with turnovers early in camp. He threw seven ints in nine practices for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Mayfield rebounded from his early struggles to play well enough to win the starting job.
How surprising is it that Baker Mayfield won the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starting job?

It’s not surprising that Baker Mayfield won the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starting job. What Mayfield has done as a starter in the league, makes him a viable candidate over Trask right now.
Trask helped push Mayfield to the end due to his lack of turnovers in practice, and he played solid against the New York Jets on Saturday Night, completing 16 of his 23 pass attempts for 122 yards and one touchdown in a 13-6 Bucs win. Mayfield and the starters didn’t suit up for that game, which means the decision was made before Tuesday morning.
The Bucs didn’t know what they had in Kyle Trask, as he only played in one game last year, going 3 of 9 for 23 yards. There were way too many unknowns for Todd Bowles to comfortably start Trask in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings in a hostile environment in Minnesota.
After struggling in Carolina, Baker Mayfield revitalized his career in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Head Coach Sean McVay. In four starts for the Rams last season he threw for 850 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in four games started. He earned the Tampa Bay Bucs job because his unwavering confidence is something players gravitate towards, and his ability to lead will help the Bucs in the long run.
How will the Tampa Bay Bucs fare in 2023?

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The Tampa Bay Bucs have a daunting schedule to start the season before it lightens up before the end of the season.
As mentioned, the Bucs open up against the Vikings, then the Eagles in Week 3, the Saints in Week 4, at Bills in Week 7, and the 49ers in Week 10. Those early games will be a gauntlet for the Bucs, and couple that with an early bye week, it could be tough sledding for the Bucs this season. Their win total is set for under 6.5 wins.
The Bucs’ defense will keep them in a lot of games this year, and despite not having Tom Brady anymore, Baker Mayfield is a top-20 quarterback in the league, and there will be games where he doesn’t play well and games where he looks like a top-10 quarterback. That said, the Bucs will win eight games this year.
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