Tampa Bay's season went from bad to worse on Monday when head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that quarterback Baker Mayfield will miss a minimum of three weeks after dislocating the thumb on his throwing hand during Sunday's 23-16 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. "It's consistent with everything we thought it was, a dislocation," Bowles told reporters, though the news carries a silver lining: an MRI showed no torn ligament or tendon damage.

Mayfield got hurt on a fourth-and-1 scramble late in the fourth quarter when Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman hit him as he threw, a play that ended in an interception with under two minutes left. According to ESPN's report, the earliest Mayfield could realistically return is Week 7, when Tampa Bay visits Carolina — meaning he'll sit out this weekend's home game against Green Bay at minimum. Bowles said surgery is not expected to be needed.

An undrafted rookie steps in

Replacing him is 23-year-old Jalon Daniels, an undrafted free agent who spent six seasons at Kansas and became the first four-time team captain in program history. Daniels beat out veteran Jake Browning for the backup job in training camp, then went 0-for-3 passing with an interception in his brief relief stint Sunday, per NFL.com. He is now expected to make his first career start against the Packers.

"It's consistent with everything we thought it was, a dislocation." — Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles

The timing stings. Mayfield signed a three-year, $165 million extension just five days before the season opener, a vote of confidence after he led Tampa Bay to the playoffs the past two years. Instead, he enters the injury ranked last among qualified starters in EPA per dropback (-0.30), and the Buccaneers have dropped to 0-3 — part of a stretch in which they're 2-10 over their last 12 games, according to Yahoo Sports.

That collapse has turned up the heat on Bowles, who is now fielding questions about his own job security as the losses pile up alongside the injuries. Tampa Bay already entered the year thin at receiver and along the offensive line, and losing its highest-paid player for at least three games leaves little margin against a Green Bay team that, at 1-2, is desperate for its own bounce-back win.

What's next: Daniels gets the start Sunday against the Packers, with Tampa Bay's official team site confirming the timeline puts Mayfield's return in play for the Carolina game in Week 7 — if the thumb heals on schedule and the Buccaneers are still playing meaningful football by then.