According to Baker Mayfield, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' real season is about to commence.
The prelude to the bye for the Bucs was bittersweet: a plethora of injuries somehow outweighed by a remarkable 6-2 start. In the coming weeks, the temperature is about to turn up a notch.
This Sunday marks the beginning of a three-game stretch for Tampa against teams with only a pair of losses. In less than a month, the entire foundation of a historic campaign could crumble.
That tumultuous path starts with the New England Patriots, who enter this weekend with a league-best six-game winning streak and perhaps the MVP frontrunner in gunslinger Drake Maye.