The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have smoothly sailed through the first half of their 2025 season. They are currently at 6-2, hold the top spot in the NFC South and, if they finish the season strong, they could find themselves as one of the top seeds in the NFC come playoff time.

The offense led by Baker Mayfield was the catalyst early on for the Bucs, but the past couple of weeks, it has been the defense that has propped up the offense to pull out victories.

Mayfield was an early MVP candidate, and could still find himself in the conversation as the season winds down. With plenty still ahead for Mayfield, we thought it would be a good idea to examine his play at the midway point of the season.

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Mayfield has had one of the best seasons of his career thus far, and has done it without two of his star players in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Mayfield has shown his moxie and passion for the game throughout the Bucs’ first eight games, and he will need to continue putting the team on his back here in the back half of the season.

Mayfield has been terrific at taking care of the ball in 2025. In 2024, turnovers were a bit of an issue for Mayfield, but he seems to have turned that around here this year. Mayfield has only thrown two picks through eight games, which shows he has taken a step in his discipline and decision-making to avoid risky plays.

Mayfield has also been fantastic when it comes to late-game comebacks. Mayfield has orchestrated numerous game-winning drives in the first half of the season and is one of the biggest storylines in the NFL through the first half. His mental fortitude and confidence during pressure moments have been excellent, and the Bucs will need that from him the rest of the way.

Oct 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

While there is mostly good to talk about when it comes to how Mayfield has performed through the first half of the season, there are areas where we could see improvement.

One of the main things that has been apparent with Mayfield has been the inconsistent play on a game-by-game basis.

Early in the season, explosive plays in the deep passing game were there for Mayfield and the Buccaneers, but that slipped in recent weeks as we approached the bye week. A large factor in this can be attributed to Evans and Godwin’s injuries, along with the right side of the offensive line being weakened by injuries. However, it would be great if offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard could get back to some of those plays to help stretch the defense for Mayfield.

There isn’t a whole lot to dislike about Mayfield’s game through the first half, but getting more consistent all the way around while handling strong defensive pressure and getting the roster healthy should make for a strong back-half finish from Mayfield and the offense.