Baker Mayfield Says He'll Be 'Saints Fan' for Week 18 as Bucs Eye NFL Playoff Bracket

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield confirmed that he'll be rooting for the New Orleans Saints to take down the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18 with the Buccaneers' playoff hopes on the line.

"I am [a Saints fan] tomorrow," Mayfield told ESPN's Peter Schrager.

The Buccaneers avoided elimination with a 16-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Now, they need New Orleans to defeat Atlanta in order to clinch the NFC South crown.

With Tampa Bay's win over Carolina, both teams now hold identical 8-9 records.

If the Falcons beat the Saints, they'd improve to 8-9 as well. While Atlanta has already been eliminated from the playoffs, a three-way tie atop the division standings would give the Panthers a tiebreaker for the NFC South title.

A win by New Orleans would put the Falcons at 7-10, leaving Tampa Bay and Carolina tied atop the division. In that scenario, the Buccaneers own the tiebreaker between both teams based on their record against common opponents and would win the NFC South.

While disdain between division rivals is hardly uncommon, Mayfield explained why he particularly doesn't like the Saints on Oct. 22.

"It has not exactly been clean play from their part when we play them," Mayfield said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. "It is a physical game; it is what it is. You expect it [from a] division rival. ... Yeah, not much else to say besides for the fact that I do not like them."

The two-time Pro Bowler is willing to momentarily put those feelings aside, though.

Mayfield navigated through rainy conditions against Carolina on Saturday, finishing 16-of-22 for 203 yards and one touchdown to go along with one interception. He also picked up 31 rush yards on four attempts.

The Buccaneers' playoff outlook now comes down to Sunday's clash between the Saints and Falcons. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET.