TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield’s return, whenever it happens, might be too late to save the season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers are 1-5 after wasting another double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and losing 26-19 to Pittsburgh in overtime on Sunday.
They’re 0-4 at home and led in the final quarter in three of those games.
Mayfield has missed the last three games because of a thumb injury. He is expected to practice Wednesday, but coach Todd Bowles said the team won’t know his status for the Bucs' game against the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers (3-2) until later in the week.
If he can’t play, undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels will make another start. Daniels was impressive in leading Tampa Bay to a road win at Dallas but made mistakes against the Steelers. He threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter that helped Aaron Rodgers lead a comeback.
No matter who is under center, it will be difficult for the Buccaneers to rebound from this start. They’ve now lost 12 of their last 15 games since opening 6-2 last season.
But their next two games are against division opponents. If they find a way to win both, they’ll be right back in the mix.
“It’s critical,” Bowles said Monday. “It’s a step to trying to get back in it. The guys that you’ve got to play are ahead of you right now, so it’s going to be critical that we win these games.”
While the offense has struggled, the defense has been a bright spot for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are fifth in yards allowed but middle of the pack in giving up 23 points per game.
“We’ve done some good things defensively, but you’ve still got to finish the game,” Bowles said. “They’re playing well — obviously, we’ve got to do a little bit more. Offensively, we’ve just got to catch up a little bit.”
The pass rush. The Buccaneers sacked Rodgers five times after getting only six sacks in the first five games. Second-year linebacker David Walker had two of the sacks.
Quarterback play. Mayfield and Daniels have combined for 10 turnovers and a 71.6 passer rating.
Edge rusher David Walker had two sacks while playing just 28 snaps. He came in averaging only 14 snaps per game. The second-year pro leads the team with four sacks this season.
“Just making the most of the opportunities,” Walker said.
“Coach is putting us in the right position and I’m just trying to win my 1-on-1s whenever I get in. And the team, as a D-line, we just work together. We call it four equals one and that’s what’s been giving us all success.”
Daniels. He completed just 51.1% of his passes, took five sacks and threw two picks in the fourth quarter that led to a pair of field goals.
"(I’m) not happy with the results, but happy with the opportunity that I got the chance to be able to go out here and play with a whole bunch of elite playmakers, a whole lot of people who have gotten the chance to be able to make plays at the NFL level for quite some time,” Daniels said. “So, for me, I believe that I’ve proved (to) myself that I’m able to play at this level.”
S Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib), CB Benjamin Morrison (quad) and RB Sean Tucker (quad) didn’t play.
2.5 — The Bucs averaged that number of yards per dropback.
The Bucs visit the Panthers (3-2).
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles talks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) sacks Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels (10) during the first half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifth-generation Kansas farmer Glenn Brunkow describes this time of year as “go time,” when farmers are combining fields, hauling crops to town and moving livestock from summer pastures to their winter homes.
But this harvest season, they’re doing it with diesel prices more than $2.50 per gallon higher than a year ago, adding to financial pressures from rising costs, unpredictable markets and shrinking profits.
“It seems like it’s coming at us from all directions,” said Brunkow, president of the Kansas Farm Bureau.
The economic strain is becoming a growing political concern for Republicans in states they have long dominated. President Donald Trump appeared in Kansas on Monday and will go to Iowa later in the week, the latest in a series of stops where he's trying to energize his base in the final weeks before the midterm elections.
“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend please that I’m on the ballot," Trump told the Kansas crowd. He spoke for well over an hour, with protesters interrupting him several times.
The visits come as Republicans pour money into Senate races in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa amid concerns about voter enthusiasm. The anxiety may be especially notable in Kansas — a state Trump won by 16 percentage points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 — as Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a tough challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton. Democrats have not won a Senate election in Kansas in 94 years.
Hamilton, the founder of the nation’s largest United Methodist church, has attracted Republican support in his Senate bid, including endorsements from two former GOP governors. In a video statement ahead of Trump’s visit, Hamilton said it was “an honor” to welcome a sitting president to Kansas.
"I want Kansans to know that if you voted for the president, you also have a place in my campaign,” he added.
Brunkow, whose organization endorsed Marshall, said he’s been asked many times whether the economic frustrations could drive Republican farmers to vote for Democrats.
“I don’t think it necessarily does that,” Brunkow said. “But I think it dampens the enthusiasm for agriculture producers to get to the polls.”
Don Hineman, a western Kansas rancher and former Republican state House majority leader, said he’s seeing growing frustration among GOP voters beyond just farmers, including some who have supported Trump in multiple elections.
He said farmers understand that Trump’s tariffs have hurt their businesses and are upset over the ongoing war with Iran. Immigration has also become a source of concern, particularly after recent immigration raids in western Kansas that resulted in the detention of more than 100 people.
“We need a secure border — we can all agree on that,” Hineman said. “But we also need workable immigration policy that provides the workforce that the United States has always depended on and will always continue to need.”
Hineman said the traditional Republican argument in Kansas — that electing Democrats would empower the party’s liberal wing — is losing its effectiveness with some voters, including himself.
“I am tired of being persuaded by charges that the boogeyman is going to get us,” he said. “I am so fed up with the Republican Party and their willingness to play sycophant to our current commander in chief that I’m willing to consider alternatives.”
Debbie Geneva, 61, of Nortonville, Kansas, said she was impressed by Hamilton after he visited a local market to meet people, something she hasn't seen Marshall do. She's never voted for a Democrat, she said, but remains undecided about the Senate race.
“I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my entire life, so that’s a little scary for me to be undecided,” said Geneva. "I told one of my friends that, and they can’t believe it, but that’s just the way I feel right now.”
Geneva said rising costs for healthcare and everyday expenses have added to her frustrations.
“And then of course the trade agreements," she added. “The Republicans haven’t done the Midwest any favors with that.”
Farmers have spent months feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared due to refinery constraints and supply disruptions tied to the Iran war.
Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon nationwide on Friday, more than 70% higher than a year ago, according to motor club AAA. The surge has been especially painful during harvest season, when farmers depend heavily on fuel to operate machinery and transport crops.
“This is a time of year when we use a lot of fuel, and there just isn’t much we can do,” Brunkow said. “The margins are tight, and anything that cuts into that margin really hurts.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will decline by 2.6% this year as production expenses rise by 4.5%. Fuel and oil expenses alone are expected to jump nearly 30%, according to the agency’s September forecast.
Trump said Monday night that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, claiming it will provide $8 billion in support for farmers to offset diesel costs.
“When Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers. We love our farmers,” Trump said.
Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to ease limits on the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel, a decision he said would save “millions” for farmers. That came after a $12 billion aid package for farmers announced by the Trump administration in December.
But those efforts have not erased frustrations among some farmers who expected their financial outlook to improve under Trump.
Brunkow said many farmers “thought it would be better” under Trump.
“He’s made some unforced errors," said Brunkow.
Trump will travel on Thursday to Iowa, where Republicans are defending competitive races for governor and Senate. The state, which Trump has carried in three consecutive presidential elections, is another agricultural stronghold where economic frustrations have become part of the political debate.
In Nebraska, Senate Republicans have poured nearly $15 million into a race between GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan Osborn, an unprecedented amount for a state Trump won by 20 percentage points in 2024.
David McIntosh, president of the influential Club for Growth, said his group has kept a close eye on the heavy agriculture states since summer and acknowledged concerns about a drop-off in enthusiasm. His group is spending millions of dollars for GOP candidates in Kansas, Nebraska and elsewhere.
“Farmers are squeezed between higher input prices and less of an international market because of retaliatory tariffs,” McIntosh said. “The economic environment has not been good.”
Democrats, meanwhile, see an opportunity in the economic frustrations, even in states where they have struggled to win statewide elections.
Former Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who lost reelection in 2024, said there is “no doubt” that Democrats will perform better than expected in agricultural states.
“These guys got to pay bills at the end of the month, and for a number of months now it’s been hard to do,” said Tester. “This is way beyond politics.”
Cappelletti reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Nick Ingram and Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
Police remove a protester as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Police remove a protester as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Ted Nugent speaks before President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., claps before President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Adam Hamilton, right, the Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, answers questions posed by Bob Ross, left, the president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, during a Meet the Candidate event sponsored by the chamber, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Adam Hamilton, right, Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, speaks with Curtis Sneden, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, at a Meet the Candidate event sponsored by the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Dalton Municipal Airport, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Dalton Ga. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
