Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said that the team can be proud of how they grew together and fought over the course of the 2024 season, but those feelings took a back seat to less positive ones on Sunday night.

The Bucs went into the fourth quarter of their home game against the Commanders with a 17-13 lead, but they could not hold onto the advantage. A botched handoff with wide receiver Jalen McMillan resulted in a fumble that set up a Commanders touchdown and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal after a rushed snap helped stymie a promising drive later in the fourth quarter.

That field goal tied the game, but the Bucs would not see the ball for the final 4:41 of the game as Washington drove for a game-winning field goal. The defense’s inability to get a stop took a backseat to the offensive blunders when Mayfield recapped what went down at his postgame press conference.

“Just some dumb stuff today that cost the team,” Mayfield said. “It’s going to wear on me for a while.”

The Commanders never turned the ball over and they never punted over the course of Sunday night’s win. That made the Bucs’ miscues stand out even more on a night that brought an earlier start to the offseason than anyone in Tampa was hoping to see.