Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield reveals he doesn't like the Saints ahead of Week 8 matchup

The New Orleans Saints are off to a rough start in the Kellen Moore era, sitting at 1-6 at the bottom of the NFC South. With the Atlanta Falcons at 3-3, the Saints are the only team with a losing record in the division.

With Week 8 right around the corner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to New Orleans for their final game before their Week 9 bye. They're coming off a tough Monday Night Football loss to the Detroit Lions, which has the Buccaneers eyeing a bounce-back against the Saints.

But for Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, this matchup means more to him. During Wednesday's press conference, Jenna Laine of ESPN shared Mayfield's response when asked about why he isn't a fan of the Saints, and Mayfield gave a reason, emphasizing that he doesn't like the Saints.

Baker Mayfield says he doesn't like the Saints

"Hasn't exactly been clean play from their part when we play them," Mayfield said. "It's a physical game, it is what it is. You're expected, division rival... Yeah, not much else to say except the fact that I don't like them."

Baker Mayfield doesn’t like the Saints. pic.twitter.com/1luRlDdVgF

The Buccaneers' starting quarterback isn't a fan of the Saints, and he revealed that New Orleans' play style is part of why. He accuses the Saints of not playing clean, but also downplays it in the same breath by emphasizing that football is a physical game.

But his comments are clear: he does not like the Saints at all. Mayfield is in the middle of a strong season with the Buccaneers, as Tampa Bay is 5-2 coming into their Week 8 matchup against the Saints.

In his career against the Saints, Mayfield has played in five games, winning four of those matchups. Across those five matchups, he's thrown for 1,271 yards and 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He's taken eight sacks and has also tacked on 126 rushing yards.

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Last season against the Saints, Mayfield beat the Saints 51-27 in Week 6, then in the final week of the year, won 27-19 to secure a 10-7 record. In 2023, he beat the Saints 26-9 in Week 4 and later in Week 17 suffered his only loss to the Saints 23-13.

The Buccaneers' starting quarterback generally has success against the Saints, but he's still steadfast in his dislike of the team.

Between the division rival hatred and the fact that Mayfield believes the Saints play dirty, Mayfield's dislike of the Saints isn't going to go away any time soon, especially not for Week 8 as the Buccaneers look for a bounce-back win.

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