As the Dallas Cowboys began gearing up for the Week 16 showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was an interesting note on the opponent’s first injury report of the week.
Star quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has had a career resurgence in Tampa Bay and is leading the team’s high-powered offense, was held out of practice on Wednesday with what was listed as a knee issue.
That led to Cowboys Nation asking: “will the Buccaneers be without Baker Mayfield?”
Now that there is another day of practice in the books, we have a clear idea of who will be under center when the Cowboys welcome the Bucs to AT&T Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
Unfortunately for the wounded Cowboys defense, Mayield will be leading the charge.
The Bucs’ most recent injury report listed Mayfield as a full participant in Thursday’s practice session, while the Cowboys had three players — star cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebackers Eric Kendricks and Nick Vigil — who did not participate.
This season, Mayfield has thrown for 3,617 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, while adding 266 yards and three touchdowns with his legs.
The Cowboys secondary is wounded with Diggs expected to be out, and Caelen Carson, Josh Butler, and Markquese Bell all on injured reserve. The short-handed defense is going to have their hands full on Sunday night.
Kickoff between the Cowboys and Bucs at AT&T Stadium is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, and will stream live on Peacock.
