The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to New Orleans to face their rivals in Week 8. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is already getting himself in the mood verbally.

How will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers respond to their painful defeat against the Detroit Lions? And how will they cope with the loss of Mike Evans? On Sunday, the Bucs face division rivals the New Orleans Saints in Week 8 of the NFL.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has already found the right tone.

“Honestly, it’s never been a clean game on their part when we play them,” Mayfield said. “It’s a physical game, that’s just the way it is. You expect that in a division matchup. Yeah, there’s not much more to say about it except that I don’t like them.”

The playmaker isn’t too concerned that he has lost another top receiver in Evans after Chris Godwin (fractured fibula) and Evans’ collarbone fracture. Nor is he concerned that running back Bucky Irving (foot and shoulder problems) has not yet been able to train.

Injuries are part of everyday life in the NFL.

“Until we lost, no one complained or whined,” Mayfield said. “That’s just the nature of the game. You know you have a game every week until your bye week comes around. So you have to adapt and move on.”

For the Buccaneers, it’s all about staying on track for success. With a current 5-2 record, the team is in a good position at the top of the NFC South. However, the Panthers (4-3) and Falcons (3-3) are close behind. A win against the Saints, who are 1-6, is therefore doubly important.

“When you lose, you want to get back out on the field as soon as possible to get it out of your system,” Mayfield said. “Especially with a group like ours that understands exactly what we need to do to win games. Our guys will approach it the right way, recover as quickly as possible, and then we’ll strike again.”