Saints had a bad habit of Roughing up Baker Mayfield this season.

The Bucs quarterback was hit illegally by Tyrann Mathieu on Sunday, resulting in bruised ribs. There was a late hit in the Week 4 game as well.Two NY Saints games and two risky late hits to Baker Mayfield.

Thankfully for the Bucs, during Sunday’s 23–13 loss to New Orleans, the quarterback seemed to have avoided another catastrophic injury. Tyrann Mathieu, the safety, roughed up Mayfield late in the fourth quarter, bruising his ribs.

Mathieu lunged at Mayfield, lowering his shoulder to strike the left side of his midsection, three steps after Mayfield hit Chris Godwin with a two-point conversion throw.

Mayfield was on all fours and stumbled once trying to get to his feet. After a few steps, he paused to bend at the waist and put his hands on both knees.

When Mayfield got to the sideline, he bent down to one knee and rested his arm across the Bucs bench next to trainer Bobby Slater.

It was the second time this season Mayfield found himself in the crosshairs of illegal hits by Saints players.

In Tampa Bay’s 26-9 win at New Orleans during Week 4, Mayfield flipped a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton and was bent backward by Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata. With his legs trapped underneath him, he was hit late by defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles reiterated Monday that X-rays were negative on Mayfield and he expects him to play at Carolina this weekend.

“He has sore ribs,” stated Bowles. “He’ll be all right by Sunday.” If not, backup quarterback Kyle Trask has only made a handful plays this season since Mayfield’s ankle injury in Indianapolis.

Bucs left tackle After the Saints’ defeat to New Orleans, Tristan Wirfs expressed his frustration with the team’s lackluster criticism of Mayfield.

Tyrann Matheiu did it this game, while ninety-three (Onyemata) accomplished it in the first game, according to Wirfs. He was chirping the officials, claiming he hadn’t. But football does that sometimes. Bake is a hard man.

After losing to the Saints, the Bucs need to win in Carolina in order to win the NFC South for the third time in a row.

There have been several season-ending injuries in the Bucs-Saints series. During a 2021 game at Raymond James Stadium, Saints safety P.J. Williams struck receiver Chris Godwin, causing him to tear two knee ligaments.

Bucs linebacker Devin White’s horse collar tackle caused Saints quarterback Jameis Winston to tear his anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the season in New Orleans.

If Mayfield is able to play, the Bucs shouldn’t have much trouble beating Carolina. At least on paper.

The Panthers are not just 2-14 but also lost 26-0 to the Jaguars and managed only 124 yards of total offense in the game. That was the lowest total for any team in a game this season and a season low for the Panthers.

Bowles, whose Bucs committed four turnovers against New Orleans, stated, “Our thing is, we can’t beat ourselves.” “It doesn’t matter if the Panthers had a 14-2 record. In the NFL, division matchups are always hard, and anybody can beat anybody any given week. After we play our game and commit fewer errors, we can worry about the opponent on Sunday. We will have a chance to succeed if we can accomplish it.

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk