(Video) Baker Mayfield Battles Deafening Noise as Lions Fans Turn Ford Field into a Roar Zone

The Baker Magic fell flat in Detroit as he completed just 56% of his passes and threw 1 interception against a depleted Lions secondary.

(Video) Baker Mayfield Battles Deafening Noise as Lions Fans Turn Ford Field into a Roar Zone

Baker Mayfield at Ford Field in Detroit (Image via IMAGO/X)

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The theory that Baker Mayfield plays his best football inside a dome was proven wrong on Monday Night. The MVP favorite looked overwhelmed by the pressure generated by the Detroit Lions’ 12th man.

Baker went into the Lions fixture on the back of two straight wins over the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Mayfield averaged 280+ passing yards and threw 4 total touchdowns despite missing key players like Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and Chris Godwin in the offense.

Evans and Egbuka received clearance for the trip to Detroit, which increased the Bucs’ odds of producing a fighting chance against the Lions.

Dan Campbell‘s Lions, on the other hand, were determined to return to winning ways after losing in Kansas City in the previous week. Detroit started on the front foot. Quarterback Jared Goff found wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on a crossing route for a 27-yard touchdown pass on their first offensive play, giving the Lions an early 7-0 lead on the night.

Mayfield, meanwhile, struggled to get a grip on the game. The Lions’ pass rush, led by Jack Campbell and Aidan Hutchinson, kept the Bucs quarterback limited to just 47 passing yards in the first half.

This only fed more fuel to the already raging Lions’ fans in the bleachers. Their energy reverberated inside the enclosed dome of Ford Field. It affected Mayfield’s performance on the field. Cameras caught the Pro Bowler trying hard to listen to the calls inside his helmet amidst the deafening noise.

To make matters worse, the Bucs played the entire second half without Evans. The All-Pro wideout suffered a terrible shoulder injury five minutes before the break, which weakened the Bucs offense even further.

Baker Mayfield’s MVP aspirations take a hit as the Bucs go down against the Lions

The Lions were playing with a chip on their shoulder. Not only did they want to get back in the race for the NFC, but they also wanted to exact revenge against Mayfield for last year’s loss in Week 2.

(Video) Baker Mayfield Battles Deafening Noise as Lions Fans Turn Ford Field into a Roar Zone
Baker Mayfield (Image via IMAGO)

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs made sure that the Lions stayed on top of the Bucs. Gibbs finished off a 78-yard run up the middle on an inside zone rush with a walk-in touchdown to take a 14-0 lead.

In the next drive, Mayfield found Sterling Shephard near the midfield, but Lions DB Amik Robertson punched the ball out to force a turnover.

The Bucs defense created momentum with Tykee Smith sacking Goff for a loss before Jamel Dean recording an interception to set up a 53-yard field goal conversion. Tampa Bay was finally on the board.

Mayfield finally produced a moment of magic six minutes after the break. He finished off an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Tez Johnson. It trimmed the deficit to five points, but that was the high point of the Bucs’ night.

Four minutes later, Gibbs scored his second rushing touchdown to put the Lions back in the driver’s seat. Goff found Gibbs as he maneuvered his way past the Bucs secondary to make it 21-9 for Detroit.

The Lions’ kicker, Jake Bates, who missed a three-pointer earlier in the game, smashed home from 58 yards to increase the score to 24-9.

After that, it was all about Detroit defense shutting down Mayfield’s attempts to generate a spark in the final moments. Despite the absence of starters, including Brian Branch, Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, DJ Reed, and Avonte Maddox, the Lions’ secondary stood firm as Mayfield through deep wayword passes after the two minute warning.

The “Baker Magic,” so to speak, fizzled out for only the second time this year as the Bucs fell to 5-2. Mayfield ended the Lions fixture with 28 completions from 50 attempts, for 228 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

Goff was much more efficient than Baker, completing 19 of 28 attempts for 241 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Gibbs rushed 17 times for 136 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. Campbell, who received a warning from the league prior to the game, accumulated 8 total tackles and 1.0 sacks.

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