NFL Week 16 Recap and Analysis

Overview

2 weeks left in the NFL regular season.
Unpredictable year with many questions and few answers.
MVP race is unclear: Tua, Herz, Dak, Perie, Lamar, plus non-QBs like Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill.
Super Bowl favorite is uncertain with 5-6 teams in contention.
Baker Mayfield's season is a major yet under-discussed story.

Early Career and High School
- Born April 14, 1995, in Austin, Texas.
- Attended Lake Travis High School.
- Junior year: Led team to a 16-0 record, state championship, and a #6 national ranking.
- Senior year: Stats dropped, went 9-2, affected college recruiting.
College Journey
- Graduated in 2013 as a 3-star recruit. Limited offers from small schools, walk-on offers from bigger schools.
- Chose to walk on at Texas Tech under Coach Cliff Kingsbury.
- Freshman year: Started 7 games, good performance but controversy over scholarship leads to transfer.
- Transferred to Oklahoma, redshirted in 2014.
- 2015-2017: Stellar career at Oklahoma, winning the Heisman in 2017, first walk-on to win the award.
NFL Career
- Drafted 1st overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns.
- Mixed success: Strong rookie year, struggles in year 2, bounce-back in 2020, injuries in 2021.
- Traded to Carolina Panthers in 2022, struggled, then released and signed by LA Rams.
- 2022 was a low point, but 2023 saw a resurgence with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2023 Season
- 15 games started, Bucs are 8-7, leading the division.
- Career-high stats across the board, potential Pro Bowl appearance.
- Likely to secure a lucrative deal in the off-season.

Baker Mayfield's career has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.
From underdog walk-on to Heisman winner and polarizing NFL figure.
2023 marks a significant comeback, proving he's still capable of great performances.
Speculation on how his legacy will be viewed, whether as an underdog, a star, a bust, or something else entirely.