QB · Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Minnesota Vikings · 65 graded snaps
Detrimental
Despite delivering a few explosive play-action strikes, Mayfield's day was derailed by persistent batted balls at the line and costly blitz-recognition failures late.
Passing5660Rushing705
The full breakdown
Mayfield showcased high-end upside on scripted and play-action concepts, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown pass (Q1 06:50) and a 37-yard bootleg connection to Cade Otton (Q2 08:42). However, his passing grade fell into detrimental territory due to consistent issues finding clear passing lanes, yielding at least five batted passes throughout the contest. Pocket awareness against extra rushers proved costly in the second half, most notably when he failed to throw hot on 2nd & 19 (Q4 11:33) and took a 10-yard sack. These repeated negative-efficiency plays and late misfires overshadowed his capable scrambling and deep accuracy.
Strengths
Play-action deep passing
Scramble mobility on third downs
Weaknesses
Passing lane vision (frequent batted balls)
Hot-route recognition against blitzes
Taking avoidable sacks in long-yardage
Plays that moved the grade
+1.5Q1 06:50, 1st & 10Executes a clean play-action fake from a clean pocket and delivers a perfect deep ball in stride for a 40-yard touchdown.
-1.5Q4 11:33, 2nd & 19Fails to identify an unblocked blitzer and holds the ball instead of throwing hot, absorbing a devastating 10-yard sack.
+1Q2 08:42, 3rd & 2Executes a bootleg off play-action to deliver an accurate 37-yard strike on the run down to the opposing 7-yard line.
Every graded snap · 34 wins or losses, 31 routine
-0.5Q1 08:38 · 1 & 10 · PassingFires a quick pass to the flat but fails to clear the defensive lineman in his throwing lane, resulting in a batted pass.
+0.5Q1 08:29 · 2 & 10 · PassingIdentifies the soft coverage in the flat and gets the ball out quickly and accurately to his tight end.
+1.5Q1 06:50 · 1 & 10 · PassingExecutes a clean play-action fake, stands tall in a well-protected pocket, and delivers a perfect deep ball in stride for a 40-yard touchdown.
-0.5Q1 02:02 · 2 & 6 · PassingFires a quick pass over the middle but has it batted down at the line of scrimmage by the defensive tackle.
-0.5Q2 13:00 · 2 & 17 · PassingThrows a quick out to Godwin but misses low and outside, resulting in an incompletion.
+1Q2 08:42 · 3 & 2 · PassingExecutes the play-action fake well, boots to his right, and delivers an accurate pass on the move to his wide-open tight end.
+0.5Q2 07:02 · 1 & 27 · PassingExecutes a quick, accurate throw to the flat on 1st and 27, taking the easy yards the defense gives him.
-0.5Q2 05:41 · 3 & 10 · PassingHad a very clean pocket but couldn't find an open receiver downfield. Checked down to the flat but threw the ball out of bounds, resulting in an incompletion.
+0.5Q2 03:22 · 2 & 6 · RushingFaces immediate inside pressure, escapes the pocket to his left, and scrambles for a positive gain.
+0.5Q2 02:36 · 3 & 2 · RushingRecognized the open middle as the edge rushers got pushed deep, stepping up to scramble for the crucial 3rd down conversion.
-1Q2 02:00 · 1 & 10 · PassingFails to see the dropping linebacker and throws the ball directly into his coverage, resulting in a batted pass.
-0.5Q2 01:53 · 3 & 10 · PassingFires a quick pass to the right but has it batted down at the line of scrimmage.
+0.5Q2 00:52 · 2 & 10 · PassingDelivers a strike on time and in rhythm to the dig route over the middle against the blitz.
-0.5Q2 00:34 · 1 & 10 · PassingTakes a quick sack as the pocket collapses from the interior and right edge; has nowhere to step up.
+0.5Q2 00:27 · 2 & 15 · PassingDelivers a quick, accurate ball to the flat on time.
-0.5Q2 00:12 · 3 & 7 · PassingThrows a deep ball down the left sideline that lands out of bounds, giving his receiver no chance.
+0.5Q3 14:14 · 2 & 7 · PassingQuickly diagnoses the 5-man pressure and fire zone coverage, getting the ball out to his hot read in the flat for a solid gain.
+0.5Q3 10:19 · 1 & 10 · PassingShows good poise against the free blitzer, getting the ball out quickly and accurately to his hot read.
-0.5Q3 09:44 · 2 & 5 · PassingThrows slightly behind his target on a quick slant, resulting in an incompletion.
-0.5Q3 09:41 · 3 & 5 · PassingMakes a quick read to the right but throws the ball slightly behind his receiver, allowing the defensive back to make a play on it.
-0.5Q3 07:56 · 2 & 7 · PassingAttempts a quick throw to the flat but fails to find a clear passing lane, resulting in a batted pass.
-0.5Q3 07:51 · 3 & 7 · PassingFaces immediate unblocked pressure off the right edge; scrambles out of bounds to avoid a worse loss, but still takes the sack.
-0.5Q3 05:18 · 2 & 9 · PassingTakes a quick sack as the pressure arrives from multiple angles; little chance to escape, but goes down for a loss.
+0.5Q3 04:28 · 3 & 15 · PassingShows good awareness to evade the interior pressure and find his checkdown while taking a hit.
+1Q3 04:03 · 3 & 29 · PassingSteps up nicely in the pocket to avoid edge pressure and delivers a perfect strike deep downfield.
+0.5Q3 00:40 · 2 & 5 · PassingExecutes the quick game concept perfectly, getting the ball out fast to the flat against the pressure look.
-1Q4 15:00 · 3 & 2 · PassingFailed to identify the free rusher from the slot or throw hot, spinning directly into another rusher for a sack.
+1Q4 13:23 · 1 & 10 · PassingExecutes a convincing play-action fake and delivers an accurate, on-time throw to the crossing receiver in the middle of the field.
+0.5Q4 12:02 · 2 & 9 · RushingDrops back, feels the pocket dynamics, and decisively scrambles up the middle for a 14-yard gain, though negated by penalty.
-1.5Q4 11:33 · 2 & 19 · PassingFails to identify the unblocked blitzer in a 5-man protection scheme. With the running back free-releasing, he must throw hot, but he holds the ball and takes a catastrophic 10-yard sack on 2nd & 19.
-0.5Q4 09:56 · 2 & 16 · PassingFails to identify the dropping edge defender in the throwing lane, resulting in a batted pass.
+0.5Q4 03:05 · 1 & 10 · PassingExecutes the play-action fake and bootlegs left, delivering an accurate pass on the run to the flat.
-0.5Q4 02:00 · 3 & 13 · PassingFires to the right sideline but misses wide out of bounds on 3rd down.
-1Q4 01:54 · 4 & 13 · PassingFaced with an unblocked blitzer immediately after the snap, he attempts a desperation heave on 4th down that goes straight to a dropping defender.