Analysis: Mayfield was nearly perfect in every sense, even finishing the game with a 146.5 quarterback rating. However, his one error was critical, as his early fourth-quarter fumble on an attempted handoff was recovered by the Commanders' Bobby Wagner at the Buccaneers' 13-yard line and was followed by a go-ahead touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin four plays later. While Mayfield drove Tampa Bay 61 yards over eight plays to a field goal that knotted the game up at 20-20, the veteran signal-caller never got another opportunity with the ball. The disappointing finish to the season aside, Mayfield counts the 2024 campaign as his best yet as a pro, as he finished with career highs in completions (407), pass attempts (570), completion percentage (71.4), passing yards (4,500), touchdown passes (41) and rushing yards (378) across 17 regular-season games. Mayfield also tied a career high with three rushing scores, and about the only blemish on his season stat line was the second-highest interception tally of his career (16). Mayfield remains under contract with the Buccaneers through the 2026 season.

Analysis: Mayfield's solid but ordinary numbers tell the tale of a game during which he had to work for everything he achieved against a feisty Saints defense. The veteran signal-caller also had to frequently take matters in his own hands, leading to a season high in rushing yards. Mayfield extended his streak of games with multiple touchdowns to five by connecting with Payne Durham (six yards) and Jalen McMillan (32 yards) for second-half scoring tosses, and he was able to get Mike Evans the final five yards he needed to get to the 1,000-yard mark for the season on the last play of the contest. Having helped usher Tampa Bay to the NFC South crown, Mayfield will now turn his attention to a to-be-determined matchup on Super Wild Card Weekend.