By A to Z Sports,Evan Winter

Copyright yardbarker

Baker Mayfield is considered by many to be a top-10 quarterback in the NFL and he’s off to a pretty good start through the first two weeks of the season. He’s made plenty of big throws, but what he’s been able to do on the ground has made a tremendous impact. For instance, one can easily argue his first down run on the 4th and 10 scramble against the Houston Texans propelled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory on Monday night.”That’s a nightmare,” Todd Bowles told reporters when asked how deflating it is for a defense to watch a quarterback make a play like that. “We’ve had it happen to us once or twice – you got them all covered up and you expect to get pressure and the quarterback escapes and you do everything the right way, that’s a problem. So that creates a whole other issue.”

Baker Mayfield has been one of the NFL’s most efficient and electric runners and it’s helped the Bucs offense navigate through key injuries

The tape and numbers both show how Mayfield has been one of the most effective runners through the first two weeks of the season. The numbers below represent his totals and rank in each category among his fellow signal-callers:

Rushing yards: 72 (8th)
Yards per carry: 9.0 (3rd)
Rush yards over expected: 3.9 (2nd)
Rush EPA: +9.9 (5th)
Rush EPA/attempt: +1.24 (4th)
Yards after contact per attempt: +3.6 (7th)
Rush success rate: (t-7th)

It’s been a major boon for a Bucs offense that’s dealing with a litany of injuries. Everyone already knows about Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin Jr., but the team has since lost wideout Jalen McMillan, right tackle Luke Goedeke, and right guard Cody Mauch. On top of all that, starting left guard Mike Jordan missed Thursday’s practice per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Mayfield said Wednesday the injuries aren’t limiting what the Bucs can do on offense, but it does lower the ceiling. He’s helped bridge that gap a bit, though, and he’s been one of the NFL’s best while doing so.”[He] has a good feel for the game [and] he has a good feel for coverages that are being run,” Bowles said when asked what makes Mayfield so effective on the ground. “(He sees) When they have their backs turned, when the pressure is hard outside [and] when it’s hard inside. “He has a feel for that – you can’t teach that type of thing.”

The Bucs are going to need Mayfield’s legs even more as the offensive line injuries continue to pile up

Mauch is out for the season and Goedeke could miss “several weeks”. Wirfs’ targeted return is Week 5, so the Bucs are probably going to be without three of their five starting offensive linemen for two more games. The next game is a Jets defense that is waiting to see if Jermaine Johnson can play, but still has Quinnen Williams and Will McDonald IV on the defensive line and then Aaron Glenn remains one of the league’s better defensive coordinators even if his crew has given up a lot of points early on.Week 4 features a face-off against the Philadelphia Eagles defense that is currently tied for seventh in defensive EPA/play and is eighth in EPA allowed per pass attempt. The good news is the pass rush has underwhelmed during the first two weeks, recording just 2.0 sacks and amassing a bottom-12 31.5% pressure rate.

After that, it’s games against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions – three teams that can get after it on defense and make life hell for opposing offenses.The good news is the Bucs’ running game showed a ton of life against a well-equipped Texans defense, and eventually, they’ll get healthier (I think). Still, it’s clear Mayfield is going to have to keep playing at this level while the Bucs await the return of their key players on offense.