Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t hold back when assessing his performance after the team’s loss to the Detroit Lions.

Mayfield, who has been in strong form this season, encountered one of his tougher outings against Detroit, missing several throws that sailed higher than usual.

When questioned about those off-target passes, Mayfield didn’t hesitate to take the blame.

“Just some misses. I think a couple of them, maybe not being on time, trying to force it and it ends up being higher than I wanted to,” Mayfield said. “And (I) just got to be accurate, and I think it was just one of those days. Wasn’t perfect. And in those games, you got to be closer to perfect than it was.”

What stands out in Mayfield’s reflection isn’t just his recognition of the technical issues but his grasp of how narrow the margin for error becomes in close matchups against top-tier teams like the Lions.

His willingness to take full responsibility demonstrates his maturity and leadership.

The discussion turned sharper when the topic of third-down inefficiency came up, as Tampa Bay managed to convert only 25% of their attempts.

Mayfield didn’t use Detroit’s defense as a crutch, though he did credit them for their strategic versatility.

“They did a good job mixing up when they were showing man coverage, and dropping out into some zone stuff,” Mayfield explained. “Then just on top of that, we just got to, as a skill group, execute better. And that falls on my shoulder. So a lot of that’s on me and (I) just got to be able to execute in third.”

That statement—“a lot of that’s on me”—perfectly summarizes Mayfield’s sense of accountability.

While some quarterbacks might point fingers or shift attention to the defense, Mayfield prefers to accept the burden himself first.

Even more revealing was his detailed explanation of how he plans to recover from a less-than-ideal performance.

With a key divisional game coming up against the New Orleans Saints, his ability to analyze and make quick adjustments will be pivotal.

“I think you look at it for me, I look at it schematically. What did they do to disrupt what we were trying to get done? And then, where did we go wrong when we had things dialed up? And so for me, just execution, efficiency, finding more completions, trust in our guys,” Mayfield stated.

This calculated approach to fixing mistakes shows the thoughtful, analytical side of Mayfield’s game that often gets overshadowed by his fiery competitiveness.

He’s not simply reacting with frustration; he’s dissecting what went wrong, focusing on execution over emotion.

As Tampa Bay prepares for the Saints in a pivotal divisional showdown, Mayfield’s honesty and analytical mindset could be exactly what the team needs to rebound.

His self-awareness and accountability offer a clear look at the quarterback’s mentality as he works to respond and improve after adversity.