To think that the Bucs would have been where they were without Mayfield on Sunday – they were hosting a playoff game for the fourth straight year as NFC South champions (second season with him) and would have had a seamless transition from year to year Tom Brady passed over – that would certainly be folly.

Mayfield continued his renaissance in his second year in Tampa Bay with 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and a 71.4 completion percentage, all career highs.

On Sunday, he lost the battle for time of possession and saw limited opportunities with just seven drives, but he still continued on the course set during the regular season. Mayfield completed 15 of 18 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 146.5, a new franchise playoff record and the most in NFL history in a postseason loss.

However, there were also echoes of the regular season in his turnover. Mayfield’s 2024 season was as much about electric playmaking as it was game-breaking mistakes, a yin-yang situation that resulted in him tying for the league lead in both interceptions (16) and fumbles (13).

And that push-pull relationship was on display when, following a Commanders’ giveaway touchdown, Mayfield marched the Bucs 61 yards in an eight-play drive that included a 26-yard pass to McMillan and a 20-yard pass Connecting with tight end Cade Otton.

That possession was also ruined by a mistake when center Graham Barton grabbed the ball early from Washington’s 12-yard line on a third-and-1. None of Tampa Bay’s other linemen immediately moved off the ball; That’s what Washington did, and it resulted in a two-yard loss by Bucky Irving.

A subsequent field goal tied the game at 20-20, but Mayfield didn’t want to see the ball again and instead pondered his what-ifs from the sideline while Commander QB Jayden Daniels engineered a game-winning field goal drive , which destroyed the remaining four players :41 p.m.

Because the way he played on Sunday, he will now have the rest of the offseason to reflect on his regrets.

“Just a few stupid things today that cost the team,” Mayfield said. “So, yeah, it’s going to keep me busy for a while.”