The Washington Commanders already know what Baker Mayfield can do, so they’re making special plans for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback ahead of the NFC Wild-Card Playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, January 12.
Those plans involve keeping nimble-footed veteran Mayfield rooted to the pocket and using sure tackling to deny him throws on the run. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. explained how Mayfield’s “been hard to tackle in the pocket across every team that goes in there. You have to hit him as if you’re going to hit a running back. If you go in there like you’re going to hit…normal quarterbacks, you’re going to come off [the tackle],” per Commanders.com Senior Writer Zach Selby.
Staying mobile helped Mayfield amass 310 total yards and throw four touchdown passes when the Bucs beat the Commanders 37-20 in Week 1. Whitt and head coach Dan Quinn are constructing a specific strategy to stop Mayfield from running riot again.
It’s a strategy based on two concepts.
Technique and Structure Key vs. Baker Mayfield
The Commanders defensive braintrust knows what it takes to keep Mayfield static. Namely, technique and structure.
Technique will be personified by how the Commanders tackle Mayfield in space. As Whitt described, “We’ve gotta stay shoulder to thighs. He does a good job of sliding up and out, and he’s keeping his eyes downfield. I know he does scramble, but he’s scrambling to throw. He’s just playing high-level ball, and so, we just gotta get him on the ground,” per Selby.
Sure tackling is how the Commanders can stop any attempted runs by Mayfield at source. One-on-one situations need solid form and fit technique, but gang tackling will also be required to make sure 215-pound Mayfield doesn’t break free to release the ball late.
The Commanders can’t expect their defensive backs to stay with Mayfield’s receivers all over the field on extended plays. Even with four-time Pro Bowl corner Marshon Lattimore available to resume his personal battles with Bucs All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans.
Mayfield delivers some of his best passes on the move after a play has broken down. Like this off-script rainbow to wideout Jalen McMillan against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.
Preventing Mayfield from prolonging plays means stopping him from escaping the pocket. Quinn explained “you do have to make sure when you are rushing somebody that — we call it a cage — where you try to put somebody into a spot to at least not allow them to hitch up and go,” per Selby.
Fortunately, the Commanders have edge defenders skilled and productive enough to take away Mayfield’s outside rushing lanes. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and roving linebacker Frankie Luvu must rush with discipline and contain the pocket.
The Commanders should also get creative with how they pressure Mayfield.
Commanders Must Blitz the Buccaneers
The Commanders have one of the higher blitz percentages in the league at 31.6, according to Pro Football Reference, but they should turn up the heat against Mayfield. He’s managing to escape pressure, with Selby noting how Mayfield is “tied for sixth in the NFL with 44 scrambles and averages 8.7 yards per scramble.”
Mayfield’s escapability makes bringing the blitz a greater risk, but as Selby also detailed, “the Commanders know what can happen when teams fail to put pressure on Mayfield. He completed 80% of his passes — tied for the eighth best single-game completion percentage of his career — in that 37-20 loss and threw four touchdowns for the fourth time in his career. The Commanders also know what can happen if their blitzes get to the quarterback; he leads the league in interceptions and has fumbled the ball nine times.”
Quinn and Whitt have needed to blitz because they lack a truly game-wrecking defensive lineman, particularly on the edge. Fowler is the only lineman with double-digit sacks, so it will be important to move players around and keep Mayfield and his protection guessing.
Trapping Mayfield in a box and closing in on him regularly will force more mistakes from a passer guilty of nine fumbles and 16 interceptions. A few more Mayfield turnovers can clinch the upset for the Commanders, with the defense leading the way, instead of relying on rookie QB Jayden Daniels to produce game-saving magic yet again.
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