Bucs QB Baker Mayfield sprains left shoulder in loss to Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield sprained his left shoulder and did not play in the second half of the team's 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in Inglewood, Calif.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said afterward that Mayfield sprained his non-throwing shoulder and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the injury's severity.

Mayfield first started to show shoulder discomfort after a 7-yard scramble just before the midway point of the second quarter. He finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson but went to the sideline medical tent immediately after the score.

The 30-year-old QB returned to complete the remainder of the first half but was slow to get up when he went to the ground after he unleashed a downfield pass on the final play before halftime that was intercepted by Emmanuel Forbes Jr. He immediately reached to his left shoulder while on the ground.

"(Mayfield) hurt it earlier (in the game)," Bowles said. "He said he was fine and went back into the game, then aggravated it on the last play (of the first half)."

The Buccaneers trailed 31-7 at halftime.

The Buccaneers initially announced that he was doubtful to return after halftime before he was downgraded to out. He was replaced by veteran Teddy Bridgewater to start the second half. Bridgewater went 8 of 15 for 62 yards.

"(Bridgewater) knows what to do," Bowles said. "Obviously, we've got to protect him a lot better. It's not the ideal situation to be in, when they've got a big lead and they've got their ears pinned back every play. I thought he performed well under pressure."

Mayfield completed 9 of 19 passes for 41 yards with a TD and two interceptions, one of which was returned 50 yards for a touchdown by the Rams' Cobie Durant in the first quarter.

The 41 passing yards were third fewest for Mayfield in a first half of a start in his career.

Bowles said Bridgewater, 33, will fill in for Mayfield if necessary and the team will elevate rookie Connor Bazelak, 25, from the practice squad to be the backup. Bridgewater has played in 83 regular-season games with a 33-32 record as a starter in parts of 11 NFL seasons since 2014.

"We're confident in what Teddy can do with a full week of practice taking every snap and every play," Bowles said. "We think we'll be fine."

Mayfield entered the game completing 63.5% of his passes for 2,365 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in 10 starts.

In eight NFL seasons, that included five games with the Rams in 2022, Mayfield has completed 62.7% of his passes for 27,238 yards, 189 TDs and 95 interceptions.

--Field Level Media