Baker Mayfield Calls out Extremely Poor Officiating During Bucs’ Loss to Lions

Baker Mayfield, one of the top MVP candidates this season, had a rare off day against the Detroit Lions with a below 30 QBR

Baker Mayfield Calls out Extremely Poor Officiating During Bucs’ Loss to Lions

Baker Mayfield (Images via AP/X)

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their second defeat of the 2025 season against a Detroit Lions offense that bounced back after a hard-hitting loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week. On Monday, the Lions, playing at their home turf, silenced the Bucs to a 24-9 victory en route to a 5-2 record before their bye week.

The Bucs were rather silent in the game, with 251 total yards and one touchdown drive. Baker Mayfield, who has been in a stellar form in the first six weeks of the league, completed just 56% of the passes. He completed 28-of-50 for 228 yards with one touchdown and an interception each. The Bucs have lost both games when Mayfield has thrown an interception.

The game was also surprisingly marred by several off-key calls from the referees.

The poor calls and officiating weren’t gone unnoticed, neither by the fans or the players on the field. Mayfield went off against the referees in his post-game conference, where he called out for their inability to perform their duties with proper standards. He had previously shown his disagreement through multiple chats with referee John Hussey during the game.

A third down defensive holding call that wasn’t called, and also I’m still pretty damn confused about the double review.

Baker Mayfield said

The double review in the quote referred to the moment when the replay review that first upheld a Buccaneers first down before ultimately reversing the call and ruling them short of the marker. Though he admitted that he bothered John Hussey with the frustration of the bad calls, Mayfield stood firm on letting his opinions be known.

A lot of things in that game that were a little questionable. A lot of frustration at the end of that. It might be displaced onto John Hussey in the moment, but I work my (expletive) off and I put a lot into this game, so when things I don’t seem are deemed fair, I’m gonna let somebody know.

Mayfield added

Baker Mayfield has always been a rebel but not at home

Baker Mayfield has a history of being an inciting quarterback with quite the provocative charisma. He hasn’t shied away from speaking his mind or expressing his opinion, or just dishing it out. Mayfield has been quite vocal about how the Cleveland Browns management treated him, and he didn’t mince his words about the lack of transparency in Ohio.

Baker Mayfield jawing with the Seahawks fan after win
Baker Mayfield jawing with a Seahawks fan after win (Image via BWAMatt/X)

The quarterback recently fired shots at the New York Jets coordinator for his role in Mayfield’s removal from Raleigh. He hasn’t limited the taunts to just the ones who treated him unfairly, but even the media and his critics. Going back, he famously planted an Oklahoma Sooners flag at Ohio State, grabbed his crotch in retaliation for Kansas State’s captains refusing to shake hands with him, and was arrested once for drunken misconduct in 2017.

The actions on and off the field have Mayfield being painted as a rebel, an underdog, or a provocateur. But Mayfield is far from the aggressive guy he is in football. In a recent interview, Mayfield’s wife of five years, Emily Mayfield, revealed an adoring trait of her husband.

I’ve always said it, Baker is … he’s not for everyone. He’s a little polarizing on the field, kind of hard and harsh in certain circumstances, but he’s such a softie, so I knew he’d be a good dad.

Emily said in an interview on Monday Night Countdown

Now, one-year-old, Mayfield’s daughter is a constant presence on the sidelines and on Tampa Bay Bucs’ social media pages. Mayfield’s cute interactions with her have amassed massive trending left and right. This season’s highlights of when Mayfield had to remove his helmet for her to realize that it was her father and them having a cute moment with a broadcasting equipment were all examples of what Emily said in that interview.

Also Read: Colin Cowherd Throws Shade at Bo Nix by Saying He Is Never Going to Be Patrick Mahomes: “He’s Klay Thompson”