Leading an NFL team in his home state of Texas is nothing new for Baker Mayfield, but helping his team take a big step toward the playoffs while playing so close to his roots, that would be something new for the Tampa Bay quarterback. A four-game winning streak has the Buccaneers (8-6) atop the NFC South, where they will look to stay as they try to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday night’s game. Super Bowl Winners List: All the teams that have won the Super Bowl by year Gatorade Color Super Bowl: Odds, history and more on the traditional Gatorade bath The Cowboys (6-8) are close to elimination, which would end a three-year playoff streak, after the team lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury that ended his season after eight games. This will be Mayfield’s second game at AT&T Stadium; the other was a 49-38 victory with Cleveland in front of a pandemic-restricted crowd four years ago. “I have a lot of memories,” said Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and played high school football in the Austin area. “I played a state championship game in high school there (AT&T Stadium), the Big 12 championship there. It’s close enough to Oklahoma that you always see a lot of Sooners jerseys. For me it’s special.” Mayfield lost twice in Houston, the first time as a No. 1 overall pick rookie when the Browns were never in serious playoff contention. Tampa Bay is coming off a 40-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. On the other hand, the postseason has been a chimera for the Cowboys for about a month, but they have still won three of four with head coach Mike McCarthy with an expiring contract. this season is likely to end with four starters on injured reserve: Prescott, seven-time All-Pro right guard Zack Martin (ankle), 2021 All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) and four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. “Obviously, it’s important to live, learn and apply to the future. I enjoy these questions because I’m a bit of a philosopher,” McCarthy said, trying to keep a straight face. “We need to beat Tampa. At the end of the day, our job is to create the culture, make sure the team is properly coached and make sure our guys get everything they need to win games.” Quarterback Cooper Rush is set for his seventh start in place of Prescott and is coming off a career-high three touchdown passes in a 30-14 win at Carolina. Rush’s first start in the NFL, and his first victory, was on a Sunday night in Minnesota three years ago. Of his 13 starts, this will be the sixth in prime time
About The Author
