Who Should I Start? Blaine Gabbert or Baker Mayfield

Monday, January 8, 1:51 AM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Blaine Gabbert wasn't asked to do much in Sunday's 13-12 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers, completing 15-of-30 passes for 154 yards and an interception with five carries for 46 yards. With the Chiefs resting most of their top skill positions in a game with no playoff implications, Gabbert understandably had a difficult time moving the ball and sustaining drives. The 34-year-old veteran looked spry, though, on 25- and 14-yard scampers to set up a go-ahead field-goal drive during the fourth quarter. Gabbert served his purpose in Week 18 to bridge the gap between this meaningless contest and K.C.'s postseason endeavors, and he will head back to the sidelines as Patrick Mahomes' backup when the team hosts the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night for Wild Card action.

Wednesday, June 11, 4:32 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield noted on Tuesday via the team's official transcript that the new offense is focusing on increasing the number of downfield shots during minicamp. "[We're] working on that, being able to connect on the chemistry we're trying to build right now," noted the Oklahoma product. "This is the time of year we're working on it. Obviously, you would love to have more down-the-field shots, but any completion is a good one." Mayfield's gripe with the offense from 2024 was that it relied heavily on YAC, and it sounds like they're trying to go away from that in 2025. It's worth noting that they weren't very efficient on deep balls last season, but they're certainly equipped to do so with their offensive skill players. More explosiveness would suit the offense well, but only time will tell if that's a suitable game plan for new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. NFL defenses have done well in recent seasons in limiting explosive plays.