The Buccaneers are now tied with their divisional foes, the Falcons, at 6-6. They’ve been playing some good football lately, but their playoff dreams are still out of reach. At this point, where it’s a ‘go hard or go home’ situation. Plus, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has been dealing with some injury scares. The Texas-born quarterback is crucial for the team, and they can’t afford to lose him right now.

Baker Mayfield had a stinger injury in Week 12 against the Giants after bumping his head with offensive tackle Luke Goedeke. However, the QB didn’t believe in leaving things unfinished, so he returned to the field shortly after. They won 30-3. In Week 13, the Panthers hosted the Bucs at their home turf, Bank of America Stadium. And the QB again suffered another injury scare. It had the team and Bucs fans in a chokehold until head coach Todd Bowles gave an update on the injury. Baker, who’s been dealing with a leg injury, is set to practice fully ahead of the Week 14 game against the Raiders. “Baker Mayfield would have been a full participant in practice today. The team conducted a walk-through.”

The QB hurt his right leg when Panthers LB Jadeveon Clowney accidentally stepped on his right foot, during the third quarter of the game. After the injury, Baker was down on the field in pain and had to head to the medical tent. Kyle Trask stepped in for a quick cameo. While talking to the media post-game, the QB shared that the injury had him scared. “Honestly, it scared the daylights out of me.” But is it even a Bucs game if Baker Mayfield doesn’t finish it? The QB returned to the game shortly after, leading his team to a narrow 26-23 win.

Despite the injury scare, the 29-year-old rushed for 235 yards and scored a TD. But honestly, that was a narrow win compared to their big win against the Giants last week. The league’s in its final stretch now, and you’ve got to score big. Fetching narrow victories will hardly make it better.

Can Baker Mayfield take his team toward the playoffs?

Baker Mayfield does want to knock on the playoff door. You can see it in the way he’s playing. But what are the chances of the Bucs making it to the playoffs? With the recent win over the Panthers, it’s now at least 50 percent. The team has already faced their divisional rivals, the Falcons, twice this year and lost both games. But there is a silver lining here. They are done and dusted with the Falcons for their remaining games. However, they will be up against Jerry Jones‘ team in Week 16. While the Cowboys may be out of the race, their defense has been good with the ball lately. So, that’s worrying.

Now, if the Falcons lose some of their games and the Bucs win a few more, they could end up at the top of the NFC South. Being at the top would mean a direct ticket to the playoffs! And that also means no going through the whole ‘wild card’ hassle. But again, you can only control your destiny, not anyone else’s. So, will Bucs fans be praying for the Falcons’ downfall? That’s to be seen.

Baker Mayfield and the guys still have a good shot at the playoffs. Six wins are already in the bag, with four more needed out of the five remaining games. Winning all five wouldn’t hurt either. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what unfolds.