The Buccaneers were flagged for five false starts on Sunday night, and quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t just shrugging it off. He’s calling out the Bears, saying at least one of those flags was directly caused by an illegal tactic from Chicago. This isn’t just about a bad play; Mayfield believes the Bears’ “cheating” was a contributing factor to his team’s struggles.
The Cadence Chaos That Got Tristan Wirfs
Mayfield laid it out there: Bears players were reportedly yelling his cadence. This move, while a penalty if officials catch it, is notoriously tough for the refs to spot in real-time. Mayfield specifically called out left tackle Tristan Wirfs for jumping on one such play. “I don’t know,” Mayfield said. “The last one, I know they were barking out the cadence, which you can’t do that. It’s tough for the refs to call that because they’re not right there at the line of scrimmage. They called that on Tristan, but you can’t do that.” It’s a classic gamesmanship move, but when it crosses the line into deception, it messes with the whole flow of the game.
When “Illegal Tactics” Lead To A Meltdown
This particular false start Mayfield is talking about wasn’t just a random flag; it happened during a downright brutal stretch for the Bucs’ offense. Right after that controversial false start, Mayfield got hit while trying to throw an incomplete pass. Then, on the very next three plays, Mayfield was sacked, even though one of those sacks got wiped out by a penalty. The Bucs’ offensive line looked completely out of sorts, and Mayfield is convinced the Bears’ alleged “cheating” played a huge role in that whole collapse. It’s a tough pill to swallow when you think an opponent is gaining an unfair advantage.
What do you even do about something like this? Mayfield himself admitted he’s “not sure what else the Bucs could have done.” When an opponent is potentially crossing the line with tactics that are hard for officials to catch, it throws a wrench into the whole idea of fair play. It leaves you wondering what teams are willing to pull to get an edge, and if the rules are enough to stop it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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