NFL Week 4 Power Rankings: Buccaneers riding high with clutch Baker Mayfield at the wheel

After spending time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring and summer, I came away thinking they would be a Super Bowl contender.

Now I am convinced of it.

The Bucs have navigated through a laundry list of injuries, including crippling ones to their offensive line, to open the season at 3-0 as they head to a monster game this week with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tampa Bay has won all three games on the final possession, two of those on the road, which is a testament to Baker Mayfield’s ability to rise up in the big moments and shows his team is capable of handling adversity.

The Bucs beat the New York Jets Sunday on a last-second field goal to win a game that they dominated, but somehow found themselves trailing late after a blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown by the Jets. Some teams would wilt in that moment, but Mayfield calmly drove them to the game-winning score.

The amazing thing about that: They played the entire game with none of their projected starting offensive line from the preseason lining up in the spots they were planning to play. Center Graham Barton was the left tackle, left guard Ben Bredeson was at center and the other three spots were manned by backups, with left guard Elijah Klein and right guard Luke Haggard making their first NFL starts.

OK, so it wasn’t always pretty. Mayfield was outside the pocket a lot, got pressured a bunch and the line had five holding penalties, but they still had 347 yards of offense.

Winning that type of game not only shows this is a good team, but it also shows the Bucs have depth — deep depth on that line. Let’s not forget they are also without receivers Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan and veteran Mike Evans left the game with a hamstring injury in the third quarter. 

Yet Mayfield was able to make the plays when needed, including on the final drive. Navigating through injuries is key for any team, but it also can unify a group. That seems to be the case in Tampa.

General manager Jason Licht has done a nice job building the roster to be able to handle these injuries. Some of the wounded are on their way back, with indications being that All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs could be back this week. That would help solidify the line against the Eagles, which is a must versus that aggressive group.

The Bucs are up to No. 3 in my Power Rankings this week, but the top-ranked Eagles will be the real test in Tampa on Sunday. They are two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the NFC — San Francisco is the other — so this Week 4 game will be important for down-the-road seeding.

Mayfield is playing MVP-like ball, even if his numbers aren’t gaudy. Winning in the clutch behind that line with those receivers just solidifies him as one of the league’s best quarterbacks. With every game, with every key moment, the pending long-term contract numbers go up for Mayfield — which they should.

He has truly resurrected his career and has this team believing in him as their guy. Doing it in the clutch helps back that up, but doing it with all the injuries only strengthens that belief.

The Bucs are for real. They are Super Bowl contenders, but you better believe they would love to get some of those injured bodies back on the field just to help make it a little easier.

Biggest Movers

Rk	Teams		Chg	Rcrd
1	Eagles	The way they came back against the Rams was a big-time victory that showed that they can throw it when they need to throw. That’s telling going forward.	—	3-0-0
2	Bills	It wasn’t pretty against Miami, but winning by 10 against a division foe when you don’t play well is the sign of a good team. The defense does have to get better.	—	3-0-0
3	Buccaneers	The injuries have been many for this team, but they’ve overcome them so far. The biggest test will be the Eagles this week.	1	3-0-0
4	Chargers	Justin Herbert is leading the league in passing yards. For a Jim Harbaugh-coached team? That’s impressive.	3	3-0-0
5	Packers	Where is the offense? The defense has been dominant, but they aren’t getting enough from the offense. It cost them in Cleveland.	2	2-1-0
6	Lions	They pushed the Ravens around Monday night to get back to their roots on offense of running the ball. The defense also came up big with seven sacks.	6	2-1-0
7	Commanders	Marcus Mariota played well in place of Jayden Daniels in the blowout of the Raiders. Let Daniels take time.	1	2-1-0
8	49ers	Like last season, they’ve had to fight through the injury bug in a big way. But at 3-0, they are finding a way to win games. Losing Nick Bosa for the season is a big hit.	—	3-0-0
9	Colts	Do you believe in them yet? Daniel Jones and that offense are rolling up points. They are the class in their division.	1	3-0-0
10	Rams	That was a tough way to lose against the Eagles, but they showed a lot of good things in that game. This team is a real threat in the NFC as they ready to face the undefeated Colts this week.	1	2-1-0
11	Ravens	They have line issues on both sides of the ball. The defense got pushed around and the offensive line didn’t protect Lamar Jackson against the Lions. Now they have a huge one with the Chiefs.	6	1-2-0
12	Chiefs	They might have saved their season with the victory over the Giants on Sunday night, but they still have major problems on offense. And here comes the Ravens this week.	1	1-2-0
13	Vikings	If they play defense like they did against the Bengals, it won’t matter who plays quarterback. But Carson Wentz played well with what he was asked to do.	4	2-1-0
14	Broncos	If they play defense like they did against the Bengals, it won’t matter who plays quarterback. But Carson Wentz played well with what he was asked to do.	1	1-2-0
15	Cardinals	The defense will keep them in a lot of games. But the offense needs to pick it up. What’s going on with Marvin Harrison Jr.?	1	2-1-0
16	Seahawks	At 2-1, they are playing good defense and getting big special teams plays. Mike Macdonald might have something special brewing with that defense.	2	2-1-0
17	Jaguars	The defense saved the day against the Texans, but the offense still isn’t clicking. They have way too many penalties and drops.	2	2-1-0
18	Steelers	They are 2-1 after winning at New England, but they still haven’t looked great on either side of the ball. The defense just isn’t up to Steelers grade yet.	3	2-1-0
19	Bengals	So much for the idea that Jake Browning would hold down the fort. You are a backup in this league for a reason. They are done without Joe Burrow.	4	2-1-0
20	Patriots	They have a turnover issue right now which cost them the Steelers game. That has to be fixed or they won’t win many games.	2	1-2-0
21	Bears	It’s too bad they don’t play the Dallas Cowboys defense every week. But credit to Caleb Williams for playing well in the victory. Now he needs to carry it over.	3	1-2-0
22	Browns	The defense has been dominant for three weeks and beating the Packers was vindication for that unit. The offense does need to get it going — or make a change at quarterback.	6	1-2-0
23	Cowboys	Man, is that defense bad or what? Even if they had Micah Parsons, the secondary is a disaster. They have more busts and bad plays than any group in the league.	3	1-2-0
24	Raiders	The defense was shredded by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota of the Commanders. That’s a bad look. They might have to win shootouts this season.	1	1-2-0
25	Panthers	The defense came up huge in the victory over the Falcons. They made Michel Penix Jr. look awful with the picks and pressure.	6	1-2-0
26	Texans	At 0-3, they have major problems. The hole might be a real challenge to climb out of with their schedule. C.J. Stroud just doesn’t look right.	3	0-3-0
27	Falcons	Do they have a MIchael Penix Jr. problem? It’s looked like it the past two weeks. The second-year quarterback has to pick it up.	11	1-2-0
28	Giants	It’s time. Sit Russell Wilson down. Did you see him against the Chiefs? He was bad with two picks and failed to score on a late drive in ugly fashion.	2	0-3-0
29	Dolphins	They showed some fight against the Bills, which is a good sign for Mike McDaniel. But they can’t lose to the Jets at home this week — or heads might roll.	2	0-3-0
30	Jets	At 0-3, they are in a big hole and there really isn’t much optimism about getting out of it. It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback.	1	0-3-0
31	Titans	It’s going to be a long, long season. The rest of the way has to be about developing Cameron Ward, who hasn’t looked great.	1	0-3-0
32	Saints	Gross. Gross. Gross. That’s how you can describe what happened in Seattle. This is what happens when cap and age catch up to a team.	—	0-3-0