So what turned things around for the Tampa Bay offense on Sunday at Minnesota?
After the game, Mayfield attributed it to the decision to use tempo late in the first half. On Tuesday night, running back Rachaad White added another wrinkle.
White said Mayfield figured out the Vikings’ defensive signals.
“I just remember Bake came in the locker room, literally at halftime, he said, ‘I got it. We got all these signals,’” White said of Mayfield during an appearance on the Buccaneers Radio Network, via JoeBucsFan.com. “We’re in there talking as an offense and he’s like, ‘I know all these signals. If they do this, they’re going into Cover 2. If they do this, they’re going into Cover 3. Every time I alert this and they do this signal, they’re dropping back to this.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ . . . I was just listening to him and we were listening to him and we just kind of understood.”
That’s good for the Buccaneers, and it’s bad for the Vikings.
Minnesota’s defense, under new coordinator Brian Flores, had better buckle down in the remaining hours before Thursday night’s game against the Eagles, or Philly will do the same thing that the Buccaneers did, with the offense getting better as the game went on and last year’s NFC North champions likely falling to 0-2.