Baker Mayfield's MRI on Ankle Negative After Injury During Buccaneers' Loss to Colts

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received excellent news regarding quarterback Baker Mayfield on Monday after he suffered a right ankle injury during Sunday's 27-20 loss against the Indianapolis Colts.

"He has a sore ankle," head coach Todd Bowles told reporters. "We'll see how he's feeling during the week. But [his MRI] came out negative, so that's a good thing."

Mayfield came down with the injury on the first drive of the game Sunday, exited for four plays and proceeded to finish the game.

"Adrenaline... is a hell of a drug," he told reporters after the contest.

"At first it didn't feel very good, and then it kind of eased up as the game went on," he added. "But once the adrenaline wears down, it's—it's there."

Certainly, the injury appeared to be bothering him pretty significantly after the game.

Jenna Laine of ESPN reported that the quarterback was "getting lengthy postgame treatment in the locker room—so much so that he missed his own media availability at the podium and instead did it at his locker. He was limping significantly, barely able to put weight on the injured ankle."

Mayfield finished 20-of-30 for 199 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception in the loss, taking six sacks. He's now thrown for 2,588 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks on the year.

The Buccaneers dropped to 4-7 after the defeat, though only one game back in the woeful NFC South, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Mayfield will likely carry a questionable designation throughout the week ahead of a must-win matchup against the 1-10 Carolina Panthers, who will be fresh off of the firing of head coach Frank Reich.

From there, the Bucs have matchups against the Atlanta Falcons—currently in first place in the NFC South—the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and the Panthers for a second time. It's not the most daunting of slates, with only the Jaguars currently possessing a winning record.

But a hobbled Mayfield certainly wouldn't help Tampa's cause down the stretch.