By Robert Marvi

Copyright newsweek

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be establishing themselves as a serious dark horse team in the NFC and possibly even a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the early weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

They rebounded from a 31-25 loss to the defending world champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4 to post a 38-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka continued his excellent play by catching seven passes and ending up with 163 yards and one touchdown.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t do well versus Philly in Week 4, but on Sunday, his efficiency was off the charts. He completed 29 of 33 pass attempts and threw for 379 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, making him the first NFL quarterback to have at least 375 passing yards and fewer than five incomplete passes in a regular season game.

Baker Mayfield is the first QB ever to have 375+ Pass Yards and fewer than 5 incompletions in a regular season game pic.twitter.com/tLwhLuVJQz— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2025

Read more: Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka Set Unique NFL Record in Week 5 Win

Mayfield has had quite the journey to where he is today. He was a big star at the University of Oklahoma, where he had 4,627 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns while winning the Heisman Trophy and several other individual awards in 2017.

He was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, a long-suffering franchise that has seemingly been seeking a true franchise quarterback since dinosaurs roamed the earth. But in four seasons with them, he struggled in crunch time and had issues getting along with his coaching staff.

Cleveland traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2022 campaign, where he struggled, and after finishing the season with the Los Angeles Rams, it looked like he was down to his final chance when the Buccaneers picked him up.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 05: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaves the field after beating the Seattle Seahawks 38-35 at Lumen Field on October 05, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

But since then, he has become his best self. Last year, his 4,500 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns earned him his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl.

Read more: Rams’ Sean McVay Gets Brutally Honest About Final Play Call vs 49ers

Mayfield and Tampa Bay have two tough games coming up in the next two weeks against the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, which will give them the opportunity to prove that their strong start this year is no fluke.

For more on the Buccaneers and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.