When Bucs All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs bursts into the open field, defenders in his path can be forgiven for picturing a Mack Truck barreling toward them with no brakes. He’s 6-5, 320-pound force of nature, a blend of brawn and surprising speed and agility for a big man.

That makes Wirfs especially effective when he gets outside the trenches from the left side of the line, throwing blocks with abandon and clearing the way for Buc ballcarriers.

Those skills were definitely on display last Sunday in Buffalo. Fleet tailback Sean Tucker took the handoff from Baker Mayfield, bounced to the outside, and followed in Wirf’s wake. Massive No. 78 pushed standout defensive end Joey Bosa out of the way with ease, absolutely leveled safety Jordan Poyer and helped escort Tucker on his 43-yard touchdown run.

“I felt Tuck behind me, and he said, 'Get him,' or something – I flip my eyes inside and there was Poyer,” Wirfs recalled. “(I was) trying to get a good finish block and get Tuck to the end zone and sprung him. It worked out; it was awesome."

In fact, on two of Tucker’s three touchdowns in the game, won by the Bills 44-32, Wirfs emerged as the lead blocker – a testament to his athleticism and quickness. He played a huge part in the Bucs’ gaining 202 rushing yards and remains a key to the ground-game Sunday night in Los Angeles, when the 6-4 Bucs face the 8-2 Rams.

Asked how he might have felt as a player seeing Wirfs charging toward him, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles chuckled.

“I definitely (wouldn’t) want to see that,” he said. “…He wants to recover an onsides kick – I think that’s on his bucket list. That’s probably the (biggest) thing he wants to do right now.”

On a more serious note, Bowles added, “It was great to get him on the edge. If you’re a running back and you’re following somebody like that, you can’t help but smile.”

Mayfield certainly felt that way at the sight of his good pal rolling down the field like a human snowplow. “It's awesome to see,” he said. “You show that potential when he's out in the open field, able to make a block like that. It shows his pure athleticism and how big he is, how well he's able to move and the power that comes with it.”

Given speed of Tucker, enjoying an increased role with Bucky Irving still out of action, that scene could well be replicated as the season unfolds. “(We’re) looking (to) get more plays like that (since) it makes our lives easier,” Mayfield said. “(We) haven't had one like that in a long time, so it was good to see, and Tuck played really well."

In a video making its rounds online, several Bills players, including 6-8, 311 pound offensive tackle Spencer Brown, are heard praising him during the game – likening his legs to redwoods. Asked if he caught the clip, Wirfs replied, "I appreciate the kind words. The redwood comment, that was funny. (Brown is) a freak too; he's a tall drink of water, but yeah, it was funny."

Of course, Tucker, who finished with 106 rushing yards on 19 carries and added a 28-yard touchdown catch and run, was especially grateful for Wirf's helping hand.

“A guy like that with his size and speed going to the outside, (with) mostly defensive backs and corners out there, (it’s great having) him out there able to pancake block and clear the way for me to score,” he said.

Neither Irving nor veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin have been ruled out for the Rams game. But while they continue to make strides in practice, their status for Sunday remains unknown. And if they do play, chances are neither will see extensive action.

“Whether it’s Buck or whether it’s Chris – it’s kind of the same thing where these guys haven’t played in so long,” said offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. “To be able to think that they’re going to go out there and play 50 snaps or 55 snaps would be unfair to those guys. So, (it’s a case of) seeing how much they can handle, getting them in there on the plays where we know it’s really critical to that play – let them build their play strength to get their confidence back up, to get back to their top shape.”

That means Tucker and Rachaad White will likely continue to see the bulk of the runs. Given Bowle’s comment Monday that the player with the hot hand will see more action, expect Tucker to be the dominant ballcarrier against the Rams.

“I think what Sean has proven is that he deserves more carries,” Grizzard said. “From the time that he’s been playing more with Buck out, he’s really gotten more carries essentially each week. And I expect that to continue because he’s played really well – and Rachaad did as well. I think it was over five (yards) a clip from (him). So, when both those guys are going and you can really have a two-headed monster when it comes to that, then it’s a really good thing for the Bucs.”

And if either of them gets to the outside, don’t be surprised to see Wirfs leading the way.

• • • 

Meanwhile, here are some other topics touched upon Thursday:

Grizzard:

(On QB Baker Mayfield running more against the Bills)

“It was huge. He’s definitely feeling better coming off the Bye [Week] and having a couple weeks to really get healthy there. A couple of those were the first really ones of the year where it was designed to potentially run it. So, he’s definitely a threat with the ball in his hands. Again, we don’t want him scrambling all the time on some of the third downs, but if he gets the first down, then that’s exactly what we want out of the play. For him to be able to do that – and it really puts pressure on the defense to an extent, too – where some of these teams that just try to tackle the ball-carrier on some of the zone reads, it really makes them play it honest. They don’t know exactly, are you handing it or pulling it? So, it should put a little pressure on them as well.”

(On G Ben Bredeson’s progress)

“Breds has been improving. [There is] still a little bit to go before the game, but he’s still been out there. I think you see strides each day, and he’s in a good spot.”

(On settling for a field goal after taking possession of the ball inside the Buffalo 10-yard line following an interception at the start of the game)

“It killed us. That’s what we hit on right after the game – well, not right after the game, but on Monday – in that when the defense turns it over and we get the ball on the seven-[or] eight-yard line, whatever it is, and can’t turn that thing into seven [points], then that’s definitely a missed opportunity in a game. I know it ended up being a 12-point differential, but at that point, we’ve got to be able to play complementary football, like we talked about. They did a great job turning it over, we need to be able to go get seven [points] – and that was not a good part of the game there for the offense.”

Pass game coordinator George Edwards:

(On needing to limit big plays on defense)

"No question about it. It's unfortunate [that] it happened again last week. [It was a] combination of things that happened on those plays, which I'm sure [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles talked to you about yesterday. [With] people in and out and just in different positions, it just unfolded badly. It's bad, it's bad for all of us, we have to do a better job as coaches, making sure our players understand those situations and what we are trying to get accomplished with the calls. We have to play it better – at the end of the day, that's what it boils down to – where everybody is accountable [for] each other, and that's what needs to take place."

On if CB Jacob Parrish has an opportunity to play outside cornerback if CB Jamel Dean is not ready to go against the Rams)

"We're working through that process through the course of the week. As you know, Coach Bowles -- throughout his history here -- [has] different packages with different guys doing different roles. We're just taking it one day at a time, handling the situations as we go through the week. [We are] looking at the different matchups. They do a lot of things [with their formations] that we have to be very subconscious of going in and who we've got matched. We're excited about the guys that we have. We have continued to keep grinding and keep working, and I think everybody understands that we cannot allow ourselves to beat ourselves in football games by giving up explosive plays."

Rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish

(On his first career interception against the Buffalo Bills)

"It was good pressure by 'Voss' (SirVocea Dennis), so I was chilling by [my] man and I saw the ball last minute. I was like, ‘No way he threw this ball.' I caught it, it felt good, [and] I should have scored, but it was a great feeling."

(On what Bowles has preached to the defense to do better at down the final half of the season)

"I would say eliminate the explosive plays. I feel like we're playing good defense if you take out the explosive plays, but overall, we just [have] to communicate better in the back end. If we do that, it's going to eliminate the explosive plays."

(On going up against Rams' QB Matthew Stafford)

"Yeah, I grew up watching him a lot. He has an elite arm talent. He trusts his arm a lot and he does those no-look passes. He's a great quarterback and I am ready for the challenge."