Michael King matched a season high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run homer on his first playoff swing in four years as the San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-0 in an NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night.

King was stellar in becoming the first pitcher to have 12 strikeouts with no runs and no walks allowed in his first career postseason start. He joined Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock as the only Padres pitchers with double-digit strikeout games in playoff history. He allowed five hits and walked none.

Jason Adam struck out the side in the eighth and Robert Suarez pitched the ninth.

Tatis' 415-foot shot landed in the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the towel-waving, sellout crowd of 47,647 into a frenzy. The 25-year-old star, who missed just more than 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right thighbone, watched the ball fly away, tossed his bat aside, gestured toward the home dugout and did his signature stutter-step around third base.

Game 2 in the best-of-three playoff is Wednesday night. If the Padres win the series, they'll face their biggest rivals, the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, in the National League Division Series. The Padres eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.

Kyle Higashioka homered in the eighth and had a sacrifice fly in the second. He is 3 for 30 against Atlanta, with three homers.

The Braves clinched a playoff berth by winning the second game of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday in Atlanta. They are without NL Cy Young Award favourite Chris Sale for this series. The left-hander was scratched from the late game Monday with spasms.

Skubal pitches Tigers past Astros for 1-0 series lead

Tarik Skubal tossed six shutout innings in his postseason debut, and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Houston Astros 3-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-three AL wild-card series.

The win was the Tigers’ first in the playoffs since 2013.

Skubal, a heavy favourite to win the AL Cy Young Award, struck out six, allowing four hits and a walk in his first taste of the MLB playoffs.

Detroit scored all their runs with two outs in the second inning, with Jake Rogers, Trey Sweeney and Matt Vierling each hitting RBI singles off Houston starter Framber Valdez.

Valdez was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

The Astros’ bats were held quiet for most of the afternoon until a ninth-inning rally that ultimately came up short.

Yordan Alvarez led off the ninth with a double before being subbed out for pinch runner Zach Denzenzo, who scored on a Yainer Diaz single off Jason Foley.

Beau Brieske entered with one out and walked the bases loaded before forcing Jason Heyward to line out to end the game.

Witt delivers as Royals blank Orioles

Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single off Corbin Burnes broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning, Cole Ragans pitched six strong innings, and the Kansas City Royals edged the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 in a wild-card Game 1.

The defeat extended Baltimore’s postseason losing streak to nine games, dating back to the 2014 ALCS against Kansas City.

Witt slapped a single into left field with two outs in the sixth inning, driving in Maikel Garcia for the game’s only run.

Witt spoiled an otherwise sterling performance from Burnes, who gave up five hits – all singles – over eight innings.

Ragans allowed four hits over six innings while striking out eight, throwing 60 of his 80 pitches for strikes.

Sam Long, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg allowed just one hit out of the bullpen over the game’s last three innings.

Cedric Mullins and Ramon Urias hit doubles for the Orioles, who managed just five hits.

Mets ride momentum to opening win

Mark Vientos highlighted a five-run fifth inning with a two-run single to lead the indefatigable New York Mets to an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in an NL Wild Card Series opener.

The Mets didn’t earn a playoff berth until they rallied late from a three-run deficit to win the opening game of a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday, one day after the regular season was supposed to end.

Now they’re a win from heading to Philadelphia for an NL Division Series.

Since Major League Baseball went to the current postseason format in 2022 that features four best-of-three Wild Card Series, the Game 1 winner has gone on to advance in each of the eight series. Only one of those eight series even made it to a winner-take-all third game.

Milwaukee has lost 10 of its last 11 playoff games, a stretch that began with its Game 7 home defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 NL Championship Series.

Jesse Winker and pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez each drove in two runs for the Mets. Winker, who batted .199 with a .567 OPS for the Brewers last year before bouncing back this season, drew a chorus of boos each time he batted and appeared to exchange words with Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames after hitting a two-run triple in the second.

Luis Severino allowed four runs and eight hits over six innings and Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek combined to pitch three hitless innings with four strikeouts in relief.

Brice Turang had three hits and William Contreras had two hits and two RBIs for the Brewers.

Naomi Osaka was forced to retire from her China Open meeting with Coco Gauff due to a lower back injury, sending the American through to the quarter-finals.

Osaka, who was aiming for her fourth successive win after returning from maternity leave, had earlier caused Gauff plenty of problems as she took the opening set.

After a series of breaks to open the match, Osaka went into the changeover 3-2 up but received treatment on her back after appearing to struggle with her movement.

Some error-prone play by Gauff allowed Osaka to clinch a third break before serving out the opener, but she swiftly gave up a break to go behind in the second set.

Gauff ultimately edged a hard-fought, 51-minute second set featuring several more breaks, with Osaka retiring before the decider could get underway, having struggled to land her first serves in the latter stages.

Gauff now advances to the China Open quarter-finals for the second year in a row, with Ukraine's Yulia Starodubtsewa up next for the world number six.

Fellow American and second seed Jessica Pegula, meanwhile, was beaten in straight sets by Paula Badosa, who will face home favourite Zhang Shuai in the last eight.

Data Debrief: Twenty up for Gauff

The victory may not have come in the manner she envisaged, but Gauff has brought up her 20th career win over a former grand slam champion on the WTA Tour.

Since 2000, Gauff is the fifth player to achieve 20 such wins before turning 21, along with Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters (28 each), Martina Hingis (24) and Serena Williams (22).

Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster China Open final after the Italian downed home favourite Buyunchaokete in the last four.

Sinner, who overcame Daniil Medvedev in last year's final in Beijing, beat Buyunchaokete 6-3 7-6 (7-3) on Tuesday, extending his winning streak to 15 matches.

Buyunchaokete did well when standing up to Sinner in baseline rallies early on, also impressing when under pressure by saving eight of the nine break points he faced.

Sinner did manage to break six games into the opener, however, and he drew on all his experience in the second-set tie-break, surging into a 6-1 lead before seeing out his two-hour, seven-minute victory.

Sinner has won four of his nine head-to-head meetings with final opponent Alcaraz, beating him in their only previously final clash for the Umag Trophy in 2022.

"Of course, tomorrow is going to be completely different," Sinner said. "We know each other very well. It's going to be tactical, but I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm happy to be here again in the final. My season is going very, very well and playing finals is always great. I just hope tomorrow is going to be a good match from both of us."

Data Debrief: Sinner stands alone

Since the start of 2023, Sinner (13/23) has reached the final on 56.5% of his ATP main-draw entries on hard courts.

He has now surpassed Novak Djokovic (54.5%, 6/11) for the highest rate on the surface over that span, among players with a minimum of 10 tournaments entered.

Carlos Alcaraz is through to the China Open final after powering past Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Tuesday.

The Spaniard prevailed 7-5 6-3 in the semi-final in Beijing in 86 minutes, extending his hard-court hot streak.

The pair were evenly matched in the opening exchanges and traded breaks, with Medvedev defending three of the six break points he faced in the first set, as both failed to find an early edge.

Eventually, Alcaraz nosed in front, winning the last three games in a row to take the lead.

The second set followed a similar story, though Medvedev would lose his serve in the fifth game, giving himself a mountain to climb.

Alcaraz stayed in control after that, even as the Russian valiantly defended three match points in the final game, setting up a meeting with either reigning champion Jannik Sinner or home wild card Bu Yunchaokete.

Data Debrief: Coming in hot

Alcaraz has won each of his last eight tour-level matches and is in strong form as he bids to finish the year as world number one. 

This win over Medvedev moves him to a record of 7-1 against ATP top-five opponents this year, surpassing Sinner (six) for the outright most ATP top-five wins of any player so far in 2024. 

Jared Goff was proud of making history, as he set an NFL single-game record by completing all 18 of his pass attempts to help the Detroit Lions to victory.

The Lions beat the previously unbeaten Seattle Seahawks 42-29 on Monday, with Goff eclipsing Hall of Famer Kurt Warner's 10-for-10 performance in 2005, the previous standard for most passes in a game without an incompletion.

The quarterback threw for 292 yards, including touchdown passes to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown on his perfect evening, while also hauling in the latter's 7-yard toss for a touchdown in the third quarter.

That made him the first quarterback with a receiving touchdown since Zach Wilson in 2022, while he also became the first QB in NFL history with 15 or more pass attempts with no incompletions in a game.

Goff was aware that he was closing in on a perfect game, even if he had doubts at one point.

"I knew I did it in the first half last week, so I was aware of it then, and I was kind of aware of it today in the middle of the third quarter," he said.

"I couldn't think of one [incompletion], but then I threw the one out of bounds that ended up being offensive pass interference, and I was like, 'Does that count?' I didn't know if that counted or not.

"But yeah, it was a good day."

On his touchdown reception, he added: "No, I think that's my first one, too. Ever.

"And I'm saying all the way back to 7 years old, I think that's my first one."

Lions coach Dan Campbell did not realise how impressive Goff's performance had been after the game, choosing to give the game ball to Williams and safety Kerby Joseph for their strong play.

"I just gave the game ball to somebody else," Campbell laughed. "So, I feel awful right now.

"I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not realize he was perfect. I did not know he was literally 18 for 18.

"I thought what really kick-started him was that he had to move a little in the pocket, got spun around and hung with Jamo [Williams] and hit him on the hook for the first down, that was big because he was rolling after that."

LeBron James is feeling revitalised, saying the chance to play alongside son Bronny for the Los Angeles Lakers gives him "pure joy".

James is set to start his 22nd season in the NBA, tying Hall of Fame inductee Vince Carter for the most in NBA history.

While the Lakers had an up-and-down season last time out, making the playoffs with a late surge only to exit in the first round, James is going into this one on a high.

The 39-year-old won gold at the Paris Olympics with Team USA, their fifth in a row, being named MVP of the tournament.

This season, he has added motivation, as he will become the first father to team up with his son, who joined the Lakers as a second-round draft pick, in the NBA.

"It's a lot of excitement, a pure joy, to be able to come to work every day, put in hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow," James said at the Lakers media day.

"We push each other. He pushes me. I push him. We push our team-mates, and vice versa.

"So, it's just a very joyous moment, not only for myself but for our family. It's pretty awesome. Gives you a lot of life.

"I feel really good physically. Mentally, I feel really good. Really sharp. Very fresh. Looking forward to getting to work.

"I have not thought about what the future holds. Kind of just living in the moment. Especially with Bronny being here, too. I don't want to take this moment for granted."

James, who will turn 40 in December, believes that the tough games in the Olympics, and playing alongside fellow greats Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, also helped to renew his spirit for basketball.

"When you're with 11 other unbelievable, great talents, some of the best talent we've ever seen, it gives you a lot of joy to be able to play the game, play it at a high level," he added.

"For myself individually, to go out there at my age, the miles that I have, and to be able to play at the level I played at, it gave me like, 'Okay, I do have a lot in the tank, a lot, and I can help a big part of a team win the ultimate.

"It felt damn good to play meaningful basketball at the highest level.

"So, to have that feeling again where you're playing like meaningful basketball, every possession means something - if you make a mistake, it burns you. That was good to relive that moment."

The new NBA season begins on October 22, with the Lakers facing the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jared Goff set an NFL single-game record by completing all 18 of his pass attempts, and caught a touchdown pass as well to lead the Detroit Lions to a 42-29 victory over the previously unbeaten Seattle Seahawks on Monday.

Goff threw for 292 yards with touchdown passes to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown on his perfect evening, which eclipsed a 10-for-10 performance from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner in 2005 that had been the NFL's standard for most passes in a game without an incompletion.

The veteran quarterback was flawless as a receiver as well, as he hauled in St. Brown's 8-yard toss for a touchdown during a back-and-forth third quarter in which both teams scored touchdowns on their two possessions.

Detroit (3-1) also got two rushing touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished with 78 rushing yards on 14 attempts in the Lions' second straight win.

Seattle (3-1) was dealt its first loss after starting 3-0 under first-year coach Mike Macdonald despite piling up 516 total yards. Macdonald's defence had trouble coming up with stops, however, as Detroit produced touchdowns on all five of its red-zone trips.

Kenneth Walker returned from a two-game absence to rush for 80 yards and three touchdowns for Seattle, while Geno Smith threw for 395 yards and a touchdown and DK Metcalf recorded 104 yards on seven receptions.

The Lions never trailed after building a 14-0 lead with back-to-back touchdown drives, the first a 12-play, 93-yard series capped by David Montgomery's 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

After recovering a fumble by Metcalf in Detroit territory which Carlton Davis returned 49 yards to the Seattle 14, Gibbs ended a 3-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

The Seahawks answered with a 10-play, 70-yard sequence culminating in Walker's 1-yard touchdown run with 10:08 to go in the first half, but Goff marched Detroit 70 yards in nine plays on the ensuing possession as the Lions took a 21-7 lead on Gibbs' 1-yard touchdown run with 5:11 left before half-time.

Seattle closed the gap on the opening drive of the third quarter, which Smith finished with a 9-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner after the Seahawks converted three times on third or fourth down.

Montgomery took Goff's short toss 40 yards on the following possession, however, to set up St. Brown's well-thrown touchdown pass to Goff on a trick play that fooled the Seattle defence.

Smith promptly moved the Seahawks 80 yards in eight plays on their next drive as Seattle pulled to within 28-20 on Walker's second 1-yard TD run of the night. Smith's pass on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt fell incomplete, however.

Detroit quickly restored a two-score advantage, though, as Goff hit Williams near midfield on the next play from scrimmage and the speedy wide receiver outran the Seahawks' defenders for a 70-yard touchdown with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Seahawks continued to fight back, as Walker brooke lose for a 23-yard run on the following drive before concluding it with a 21-yard touchdown to bring Seattle within 35-27 with 12 seconds elapsed in the fourth quarter.

Detroit forced a punt on Seattle's next series, however, before Goff fired a 29-yard completion to Tim Patrick and a 30-yard pass to Sam LaPorta before extending the lead to 42-27 with an 8-yard touchdown strike to St. Brown with 5:23 to play.

Seattle was stopped on downs from the Detroit 3-yard line on its next possession, and Kerby Joseph later sealed the Lions' win by intercepting Smith with a minute left.  The pick came after the Seahawks got two points on a safety when Dre'Mont Jones sacked Goff in the end zone. 

Titans get first win, extend Dolphins' struggles

The Tennessee Titans rode strong performances from running back Tony Pollard and kicker Nick Folk, as well as a stout defensive effort, to their first win of the season with Monday's 31-12 victory over the punch-less Miami Dolphins.

Pollard rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries as Tennessee (1-3) prevailed in what turned out to be a battle of backup quarterbacks after the Titans' Will Levis left the contest in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury.

Mason Rudolph threw for just 85 yards in place of Levis but led seven scoring drives, five of which ended on field goals by Folk that helped give Tennessee's Brian Callahan his first win as an NFL head coach.

Miami (1-3) generated little offence under Tyler Huntley, the Dolphins' third starting quarterback in three weeks and second since top signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills that landed him on injured reserve.

The Dolphins were held to 184 total yards in their third consecutive loss, with Huntley managing just 96 on 14-of-22 passing. 

After neither team moved the ball effectively during a scoreless first quarter, Rudolph got the Titans in range for Folk's 53-yard field goal 44 seconds into the second for the game's first points.

The Dolphins were stopped on 4th-and-1 from the Tennessee 46 on the ensuing possession, with the favourable starting position leading to Folk's 52-yard kick with 8:20 left before half-time.

Huntley then led Miami on a 10-play, 44-yard drive capped by Jason Sanders' 44-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3, but a 27-yard pass from Rudolph to Tyler Boyd late in the first half allowed Tennessee to extend its lead at the break on Folk's 47-yard field goal.

Sanders knocked home a 56-yard attempt midway through the third quarter before the Titans finally scored the game's first touchdown on the following series.

After Pollard ripped off a 41-yard run to put Tennessee inside the Miami 10, Tyjae Spears took a direct snap and powered into the end zone from seven yards out for a 16-6 advantage with six minutes left in the third quarter.

Folk's fourth field goal, a 51-yard boot, increased the margin entering the fourth before the Titans' defence came up with another big stand.

The Dolphins opted to go for it from 4th-and-1 at their own 39-yard line, but running back Devon Achane was stuffed for a loss and Tennessee turned the stop into Folk's 29-yard field goal and a 22-6 advantage.

Miami answered with its best drive of the night, an 11-play, 70-yard sequence capped by Huntley's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:36 left that trimmed their deficit to 22-12. The Dolphins failed to convert the resulting 2-point attempt.

Huntley was called for intentional grounding in the end zone on Miami's next possession, however, to give the Titans two more points on a safety.

Pollard concluded the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds left, ending a 4-play drive where the Titans started at the Miami 20 after the Dolphins botched an onside kick attempt following the safety. 

Major League Baseball career hits leader Pete Rose, who was banned from the game and barred from the Hall of Fame for gambling on his sport, has died. He was 83 years old.

A spokesperson from Clark County, Nevada, confirmed Rose’s death on Monday. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Starring for his home-town Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s and ‘70s, Rose was the heart and soul of the “Big Red Machine” and helped them win two World Series titles and four National League pennants.

A 17-time All-Star, “Charlie Hustle” was an unquestioned fan favourite on the field, known for his relentless play and passionate demeanour. Playing in 24 major league seasons, Rose accumulated 4,256 career hits, long considered one of baseball’s most unbreakable records.

Rose broke the previous hits record in 1985, surpassing Ty Cobb’s mark of 4,191 hits to nationwide adulation, and he even received a call from President Ronald Reagan.

Rose’s sterling legacy, however, was tarnished just four years later by one of the most infamous scandals in sports history.

On March 20, 1989, Major League Baseball opened an enquiry into gambling allegations against Rose, who had taken over as the Reds’ manager. The Commissioner’s Office found that Rose placed bets through bookies and friends on baseball games, including ones involving his own team.

MLB’s enquiry found that “accumulated testimony of witnesses, together with the documentary evidence and telephone records, reveal extensive betting activity by Pete Rose in connection with professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986, and 1987 baseball seasons.”

In August 1989, Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti announced Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball. “One of the game’s greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts,” Giamatti said.

In 1991, the Hall of Fame ruled that Rose’s transgressions made him ineligible for induction.

Rose initially maintained his innocence and downplayed the ban, believing that he would one day be reinstated.

As time passed, however, he changed his tune. In a memoir released three months after his ban, Rose admitted to gambling on baseball, but legally.

In “Play Hungry,” a memoir published in 2019, he seemed to admit to all the allegations.

“I don’t think betting is morally wrong. I don’t even think betting on baseball if morally wrong,” Rose wrote. “There are legal ways, and there are illegal ways, and betting on baseball the way I did was against the rules of baseball.”

Rose’s banishment would go on to serve as a precedent, with certain voters refusing to vote for some players who played in the “steroid era” of the 1990s and 2000s.

As Rose aged, his disgrace gradually faded from public consciousness, and there were some who lobbied for the ban to be lifted, believing that four decades of ostracisation was punishment enough.

While Rose never got to see his bust in Cooperstown, he is represented by several pieces of memorabilia in the Hall of Fame, including the cleats he wore when he became baseball’s hits king.

Rose was voted the 1973 NL MVP, and a helmet from that season also resides in Cooperstown, a reluctant nod to one of baseball's iconic players.

While Rose played stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos, he played more than 18 seasons with the Reds, sharing the field with Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez.

The switch-hitting Rose was the lead-off hitter and tone-setter for the Reds’ feared Great Eight lineup, and Cincinnati inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016. A year later, the club retired his No. 14 and unveiled a bronze statue outside of Great American Ballpark.

His fans will remember Rose for his enthusiasm and competitiveness as much as for his measurable achievements.

Rose was known for giving full effort to the game he loved, and he earned his “Charlie Hustle” moniker for running to first base even after walks.

In so many ways, Rose embodied everything baseball fans have loved about the game for over a century, but that legacy will forever be coupled with his wrongdoings and public fall from grace.  

Rose was a career .303 hitter who retired with more walks than strikeouts. He holds MLB records for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890), and his 44-game hitting streak in 1978 is the longest in National League history.

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves secured the last two spots in the MLB playoffs when they split a doubleheader against one another on Monday, the final day of the regular season.

New York got a ninth-inning home run from Francisco Lindor in the dramatic opener to rally for an 8-7 victory, and Atlanta took care of business in a must-win Game 2 with a 3-0 win.

Monday’s results eliminated the idle Arizona Diamondbacks, the reigning National League champions, from play-off contention. If either New York (89-73) or Atlanta (89-73) had swept the doubleheader, Arizona (89-73) would have been the final NL wild-card team.

The Braves and Mets will begin their wild-card series on Tuesday night, with New York headed to Milwaukee to face the Brewers, and Atlanta travelling to San Diego to play the Padres.

Game 1

The opener to Monday’s doubleheader was a memorable back-and-forth affair, especially late.

Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Tylor Megill in the second inning, and Ramon Laureano added a solo shot in the sixth.  

The Mets trailed 3-0 through seven innings but claimed the lead with a six-run eighth that included RBIs by Francisco Lindor, Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez and a two-run homer by Brandon Nimmo.

The Braves reclaimed the lead by scoring four in the bottom of the eighth, powered by Albies’ three-run double off the left field wall that sent the Atlanta crowd into a frenzy. Albies delivered the blow against Edwin Diaz, whose earlier defensive lapse came back to bite him.

The Mets’ Sterling Marte singled in the top of the ninth, representing the tying run, then Lindor hit the first pitch he saw from Pierce Johnson over the fence in right-centre to take the lead yet again.

Diaz returned to the mound for the ninth despite struggling with command issues. He let the tying run reach second base before closing the door on a 40-pitch outing.

Game 2

Atlanta had scheduled Chris Sale to start a do-or-die Game 2, but the lefty was scratched due to back spasms, sending Grant Holmes to the mound.

The rookie right-hander responded with four shutout innings to start the nightcap, allowing one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts.

Gio Urshela's single in the second plated Jorge Soler and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta clung to that narrow lead until Marcell Ozuna’s two-run single in the seventh.

Six Braves pitchers combined for the three-hit shutout, even after Atlanta used many of their top bullpen options in the matinée.

Atlanta will play in the post-season for the seventh straight year and will be looking to rebound from Divisional-round exits at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in each of the last two play-offs.

The Mets atoned for last year’s 75-win season and hope to win their first post-season series since 2015.

Baker Mayfield said comments he made about Tom Brady were "taken out of context" after he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The quarterback was a guest on the Casa de Klub podcast with Corey Kluber and Tyler Casagrande last week and spoke about the difference between himself and seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady – who won one of his rings with the Buccs.

Mayfield suggested that his own style was a little more relaxed than New England Patriots legend Brady, who was back in Tampa as an analyst with Fox Sports and was pictured speaking with Mayfield.

"The building was a little bit different with Tom in there," Mayfield said on the podcast. 

"Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialled in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out. 

"They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren't having as much fun."

Speaking after leading four touchdown drives in the Buccs' victory over the Eagles, Mayfield sought to clarify his comments about Brady.

"I think a lot of that got taken out of context, and none of it was personal by any means," said Mayfield. 

"It's just what he demanded of the guys, and that's the aura of Tom Brady. And that's what he did to bring a championship here.

"Nothing personal, but yeah, talking before the game, he's obviously happy for me and he knows the guys, so he knows how much I enjoy throwing to Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] [because] he got to do the same. It's fun to be able to talk about the same experience with a guy like that."

When speaking about Mayfield's podcast comments, Brady said: "I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings. So, there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day. This wasn't daycare. If I was going to have fun, I'd go to Disneyland with my kids.

"There's a way to approach this game and it's with the right mindset to try to push each other outside our comfort zone, and great teammates do that. You come, I have someone like [Rob] Gronkowski, I have someone like Evans –  there's high expectations for us. We got to make sure we go out there and deliver."

Mayfield took Brady's "daycare" comment in good spirits, saying: " "Like I said, some things got taken out of context. He did it his own way and that's why he has seven rings. So, not much else needs to be said."

The Buccs are top of the NFC South standings with their victory over the Eagles leaving them 3-1 for the season.