Mayfield, back after missing three games, wore a specially padded glove made by the Tampa Bay Rays to protect his throwing thumb and drove Tampa Bay to a 7-0 lead over Carolina on his first series.
Baker Mayfield is back under center for the Buccaneers, and he did not waste any time. The quarterback, who missed three games with a thumb injury to his throwing hand, returned for Tampa Bay's Week 7 matchup against the Carolina Panthers and promptly led the offense on a touchdown drive, putting the Bucs up 7-0.
Mayfield was cleared to play even though the thumb is not fully healed. To manage the injury, the Tampa Bay Rays stepped in with an assist outside their own sport. The World Series team helped put together a protective glove for the 31-year-old's right hand, built with extra padding around the thumb for added support, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
The glove appears to have done its job through one series. Mayfield looked comfortable enough on his first drive back to march the offense down the field for a score, giving Tampa Bay an early edge over Carolina.