The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-1 and have a huge chance to prove themselves here in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers, whom they are tied for the first overall seed in the NFC.
The Bucs haven’t gotten to four wins without some stress and heroics involved. All four of their victories have come thanks to game-winning, have-to-have-them drives on the backs of two of the best Bucs players — quarterback Baker Mayfield and rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Both Mayfield and Egbuka have enjoyed tremendous starts to their respective 2025 seasons, breaking records along the way to making the Bucs a legit contender in the league. With their hot starts starting to get the attention of the national media, the national recognitions are starting to flow in.
In his recent ranking of the top five NFL MVP candidates on ESPN’s First Take, former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky not only has Mayfield as his leader in the MVP clubhouse, but he also has Egbuka as the fifth-best player with a shot at winning the league’s most coveted personal award.
Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Mayfield being the favorite of many to win the MVP through five weeks of the NFL season shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. He has been playing the best ball of perhaps any other quarterback right now, and he has continually shown he knows how to will his team to a victory in the most precious and pressure-packed moments.
Mayfield may not be leading the league in many of the major categories, but he has thrown for the fourth-most amount of yards (1,283) and the third-most touchdowns (10) while only turning the ball over once (least amongst QBs).
Needless to say, Mayfield has made an excellent case to be the MVP front-runner through the first quarter of the NFL season. Mayfield has been doing this down plenty of weapons as well. Bucky Irving, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have all missed time due to injury, and his offensive line has been ravaged as well, with the likes of Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch all missing time.
Enter Emeka Egbuka.
Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
A large reason that Mayfield has had the start to his season he has despite missing so many of his guys is due to the immediate impact being made by the former Ohio State wideout.
Egbuka has been nothing short of spectacular in his first five games as an NFL pro. He is not only leading all rookie wide receivers across all major statistical categories, but is also up there with some of the NFL’s best. Through five games, Egbuka has caught 25 passes (T-19th) for 445 yards (4th) and five touchdowns (T-2). That is pretty dominant for a rookie.
Egbuka’s rookie performance through this early portion of the season has placed him amongst some of the best to ever play the game, and it looks like he will continue setting records the rest of the way through his rookie season.
Mayfield and Egbuka have been at the forefront of the Buccaneers’ offensive attack, and they will need both of them to show up big against a stout San Francisco 49ers’ defense without Chris Godwin, who is dealing with a leg injury. If Mayfield and Egbuka can keep showing up week-to-week as they have, then the sky is the limit for both on their ventures toward NFL supremacy.
