The Bucs were supposed to stink without Tom Brady. Then came Baker Mayfield

The former No 1 overall pick looked like he was set for a career on the bench. But he has found a renaissance of sorts in Tampa

When Tom Brady finally retired, the NFC South was set to be wide open. After all, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to replace perhaps the best player in NFL history with Baker Mayfield, best known for his disappointing stint with the Cleveland Browns, which ended with his teammates' dads weighing in on his faults and faint praise for his comic acting chops. The Bucs' divisional rivals, the New Orleans Saints, were among the teams looking to take advantage of Brady's retirement.

Heading into the teams' first meeting of the year, the 2-1 Saints could take first place by defeating the Buccaneers, who were also 2-1 after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In theory, New Orleans had the advantage at quarterback, having signed four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr. Carr did not have a single touchdown pass during Sunday's 26-9 Tampa Bay victory. In contrast, Mayfield went 25-for-32 and threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns.