NFC Notes: Baker Mayfield, Desmond Ridder, Buccaneers, Commanders, Falcons

Buccaneers

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield has had plenty of teammates rally around him after the Week 1 win over the Vikings, including HC Todd Bowles and WR Chris Godwin.

“He’s a quarterback with an offensive lineman’s mentality,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “He’s willing to go the extra mile to put his face in the fan when the situation calls for it. … It’s a rallying cry for the offense.”

“He turns nothing into something,” Godwin added. “That [was] a big third-down play, and he’s stiff-arming DBs and getting in their face, [and] you’re looking for that kind of competitive edge from your quarterback. I think it gets us fired up, but also helps us understand that he is going to go in there and he’s going to fight.”

Mayfield has bounced around from Cleveland to Los Angeles and is hoping to finally get settled down after a chaotic start to his career.

“I mean, the motto for us is ‘resilience’ right now,” Mayfield said. “[We] just didn’t start pretty at all. We left so much on the bone. Just being able to adapt, be resilient, and not hitting the panic button by any means. … A resilient, tough mentality is what I learned about this group. Hopefully, we can continue growing and just be better through four quarters.”

“You always have a 1-0 mentality — the next game is the most important one — we’re focused on that,” Mayfield concluded. “But your confidence — your self-confidence and for the group as a whole – continues to grow. … We can’t be satisfied with what we did. We’ll always take wins, but we need to improve if we want to be potentially where we can imagine.”

• Buccaneers OL Robert Hainsey was fined $7,282 for an illegal peel-back block against the Vikings in Week 1. (Andrew Krammer)

Commanders

On Sunday, the Commanders rallied from a 21-3 deficit to pull out a road win over the Broncos. 

“It just feels different,” Washington OT Charles Leno Jr said, via ESPN.com. “And I said that last week. I’m telling you it feels different. I just feel like this team is resilient. We just find ways to win. It doesn’t matter what the score is, doesn’t matter what the situation is. It’s all about getting a W.”

Ron Rivera credited the team for sticking together and continuing to fight through the entire game.

“It really tells them they are capable,” said Rivera. “They stick to it, they stick to it. The crazy part is we were kind of waiting for something good to happen, and when Jamin got the [fumble] that really gave us a bit of a jolt.”

Falcons

Falcons HC Arthur Smith had high praise for QB Desmond Ridder following their one-point victory over the Packers in Week 2.

“Guys believe in him. You can see it,” Smith said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. “I think in those critical situations, he’s been at his best and that’s been his history.”

• Falcons TE Parker Hesse was fined $5,222 for unnecessary roughness against the Panthers in Week 1. (Mike Rothstein)
• Smith complimented Ridder for his performance: “In those critical situations, he’s at his best.” (Tori McElhaney)
• Smith continued on Ridder: “The physical tools are very important, but it’s between the ears and in the chest I would argue is a big part of it, too.” (Josh Kendall)
• Ridder following the win: Ridder: “We did enough to go out and get the win but our offense still hasn’t played the best it can, we still haven’t put together the full four quarters we want to.” (McElhaney)