Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield left the sphere at Raymond James Stadium dejected after Tampa fell to the Commanders 23-20 to finish their playoff run as rapidly because it began.
The agony of defeat for Mayfield possible felt a bit harsher after his fourth-quarter fumble modified the course of the NFC wild-card spherical sport for the Buccaneers, establishing a go-ahead landing for the Commanders and serving to to set the stage for the game-winning subject objective that will come later within the quarter on Sunday night time.
“It comes back to me,” Mayfield informed reporters after the sport concerning the fumble. “Just timing it out correctly. First one all year that happened on. Obviously timing on it not great. Being back up. Defense did just a hell of a job just getting us the ball. Another fourth down stop and unfortunate, but that [fumble] falls on me.”
The fumble got here 4 performs after Tampa Bay stopped Washington on fourth and objective from the 3-yard line.
On a first-and-10 on their very own 15-yard-line, Mayfield went for what gave the impression to be a play-action however as a substitute fumbled the ball as Jalen McMillan got here throughout for the faux handoff.
The ball ended up flying out of Mayfield’s fingers and onto the bottom, making a mad scramble for it and ending with the Commanders’ Bobby Wagner coming away with possession on the Tampa Bay 13-yard line.
The Bucs had led 17-13 on the time of the error and it took Washington 4 performs to seek out the top zone and take a 20-17 lead with 9:46 left within the sport.
Broadcast footage later confirmed Mayfield on the sideline taking possession of the error on the fumble.
The Buccaneers did go down the sphere on their following possession to tie the rating at 20 off a 32-yard subject objective by Chase McLaughlin
Nonetheless, with almost 5 minutes left on the clock, the Bucs gave the Commanders one other likelihood with the ball and Washington took full benefit.
The 51-yard drive was capped by a 37-yard subject objective by Zane Gonzalez that clanked off the uprights and made its means by for the win with no time left.
