Baker Mayfield, Bucs stay undefeated after heated dust-up with Texans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Houston Texans on Monday night, improving to 2-0 on the season. In the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield rushed 16 yards on third down with about 9:22 left to extend a drive, drawing a confrontation with Texans cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson before the teams returned to their huddles. The drive ended with a blocked punt, but Tampa Bay still prevailed.

The exchange spilled into social media, with Mayfield posting a series of photos on Instagram that showed the players face to face, captioned “Built different. 10 toes down.” Gardner-Johnson replied, “Boy this cute but still ringless.” Gardner-Johnson later expanded on the moment during a Wednesday news conference, saying, “We don’t take any s---.”

Mayfield said he was feeling great despite taking some hits and sprinting for a couple of long gains in the win. Through three games this season, he has 382 passing yards, five touchdown passes and zero interceptions, plus 72 rushing yards and six first downs with his legs.

Looking ahead, Tampa Bay will travel to take on the New York Jets. The Jets began 0-2 after two losses in which their pass defense struggled at times, surrendering 218 passing yards to Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 and 179 to Josh Allen in Week 2, and they have allowed at least 30 points in each game. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are aiming to keep their unbeaten start intact against a Jets team eager to rebound.

Mayfield’s competitive fire has been evident since he joined the Buccaneers, and his postgame and social-media activity after Monday’s game underscored that energy. The team will look to translate that momentum into a Week 3 matchup against New York, where a controlled offensive approach and continued leadership from the veteran quarterback will be key goals for Tampa Bay.