Terry Bradshaw’s hasty opinion of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield has left him looking rather foolish, as both quarterbacks look to be heading for the playoffs in January.
Earlier in the season, Bradshaw was adamant that Darnold and Mayfield weren’t ready to lead a team to a successful playoff run, given the number of NFL teams they have represented. Vikings quarterback Darnold was on the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers, and the San Francisco 49ers before he joined the Minnesota outfit in 2024.
Meanwhile, Mayfield was on the Cleveland Browns, the Panthers, and the Los Angeles Rams before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. Due to this, Bradshaw told the Rodeo Time podcast that he would’ve ended up like the duo had he played in the modern football era.
When discussing his Pittsburgh Steelers career with host Dale Brisby, the 76-year-old admitted he’d have been passed around different teams and wouldn’t have been successful in the NFL. Bradshaw said: “In today’s football world, I would never have made it.
“They’d have kicked me out. I’d have been one of these quarterbacks… [pauses to think] Baker Mayfield, these guys [who are] passed around. [Sam] Darnold up in Minnesota, passed around. Because now it’s quick, you’ve got to do it fast, you’ve got to make it happen now.”
However, in hindsight, Bradshaw’s words last month seem ignorant, as both the Vikings and the Buccaneers will end the season with positive records. Darnold has had the better season overall, with a 14-2 record and tied fourth for the most passing yards in the NFL.
The 27-year-old has 35 touchdowns in the regular season and is on a nine-game winning streak ahead of the Vikings’ blockbuster showdown with the Detroit Lions at the weekend. The Vikings are projected to go far in the playoffs, and the Lions game will be crucial in how easy their run could be.
The winner of the Lions-Vikings showdown will secure the number one seed in the NFC conference and will begin their playoff run at home. So, the incentive is there for Darnold to continue to prove Bradshaw wrong with his impressive talent at quarterback.
Meanwhile, Mayfield and the Buccaneers are currently in the hunt for a playoff spot – meaning that if the regular season ended before this weekend, they would continue to play football through January. Mayfield has fought through some adversaries this season – losing Chris Godwin through injury and star wide receiver Mike Evans sidelined for three games – but the week 18 match-up is now more important than ever.
The 29-year-old is tied second in the NFL for the most touchdowns – 39 with Lamar Jackson – and is third for most passing yards with 4,279. The former number one draft pick has a tougher weekend than Darnold right now, however, as his playoff chances with the Buccaneers hang in the balance on one game.
Should Tampa Bay beat the Panthers this weekend, they will win the NFC South division and head into the playoffs with a 10-7 record. If they lose, then rivals Atlanta Falcons losing to the New Orleans Saints would still mean they would have the same outcome as a win.
However, since the Falcons own the head-to-head record tiebreaker this season, a Buccaneers loss and Falcons win would mean Atlanta would take the division title and eliminate Mayfield from the play-offs. All the wild-card spots have been secured, so winning the NFC South is the only way to the postseason.
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