While Todd Bowles's calm and quiet demeanor is one of the many things that define his coaching style with the Buccaneers, his quarterback in Baker Mayfield managed to get him pretty fired up last Sunday afternoon.
During the third quarter of their eventual 30–19 win over the 49ers, the Tampa Bay offense faced a third-and-14 in their own territory—one that was no match for Mayfield. After dropping back, he was able to escape several San Francisco defenders before breaking the pocket and miraculously converting a first down. The play had fans going nuts on social media, and also had Bowles losing his mind—in a good way—on the sideline.
In a video of the coach recounting to the Buccaneers media team his thoughts during the play, Bowles winds up screaming louder than I think anyone thought he could:
Todd Bowles is all of us watching this play 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Vcwwx7LWnI
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 14, 2025
"First impressions was, go down and tuck the ball away, you're gonna get killed," Bowles said of his real-time reaction. "Then he broke out of the pocket, okay slide, slide, slide. Then he goes to the left oh my God he's getting ready to get killed. This guy's crazy. I think he's gonna make it. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT JOB BAKER!"
I'd be that excited too if my quarterback—an NFL MVP candidate—had my team at 5–1 thanks to the moxie he plays with every single Sunday.
The Buccaneers will once again be tested this coming Monday night when they take on the 4–2 Lions in Detroit. Here's to hoping Baker can have his coach as animated as he was last week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Todd Bowles Had Perfect Reaction to Baker Mayfield's Incredible Third Down Conversion.
