Run Game Gives Bucs Hope in a Wide-Open NFC South Race

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first NFL team since the Buffalo Bills in 1974 to win a game without completing a pass. 

Quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted three passes, completed none, and was sacked. 

The Buccaneers won anyway, beating the Atlanta Falcons 16-0.

In a November downpour at Raymond James Stadium during Week 9, Tampa Bay beat Atlanta with 324 total rushing yards on 56 carries.   

By weathering the storm, the Buccaneers found their identity. 

“That’s complementary football, doing whatever it takes in these conditions,” Mayfield said after the game. “Everybody’s going to play in it, and our guys handled it really, really well,”. 

Running back Bucky Irving led the Buccaneers’ rushing attack with 27 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown, but he was not alone. 

Fellow running back Kenneth Gainwell contributed with 140 yards.

The week prior, in a 43-13 win over the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay ran for 258 yards on 49 carries, with third running back Sean Tucker adding 52 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. 

Last week, against NFC powerhouse Chicago Bears, Irving ran 20 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-24 loss at Soldier Field on Sunday Night Football. 

Tampa Bay’s rushing offense was born out of necessity. Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand in Week 3, ending his 57-start streak.

Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels started for Mayfield, but the Bucs needed more security and assurance on offense than an undrafted rookie could provide. 

On the other side, the Buccaneers’ defense has been a major factor. They lead the league in takeaways with 21. The Bucs defense also ranks first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (79.1) and fourth in total yards allowed per game (292.9).

At 3-6, the Bucs are still alive in the NFC South. They are 2-0 in the division and trail first-place Carolina by a half-game. 

The rushing offense has kept the Bucs in contention, and Irving has become its heart. His 825 rushing yards rank fourth in the NFL, and he has scored eight total touchdowns.

For context, Tampa Bay has scored 17 offensive touchdowns this season.

However, concern is growing about Irving’s workload in recent games, as he has carried the ball 111 times in just 5 games.

He is on pace for 315 rushing attempts, according to Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, and Bowles said the Bucs will have to ease Irving's load. 

“I think the bye week for him has come at a perfect time," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said during the week.

“I think he’s tough and he’s handling everything right now but I don’t know if he has the frame to keep up that type of workload,” Bowles said. We’re going to have to take some of the carries off of him, and it’s hard to do because he’s playing such great football right now and he’s our bell cow.

“But we’ve still got to be wary of trying to keep him upright the entire season.”

Gainwell can offer relief and stability, even if he is a different style of running back from Irving.

“He is more than a gadget guy,” Mayfield said after a training camp practice, as posted by Bucs writer Greg Auman on X. “I have just been completely overwhelmed with the amount of talent that he has.”

“KG is another guy who adds a veteran presence, a leader and a guy that leads by example to help set the tone for us.” 

Tampa Bay’s six losses have all been by seven points or fewer, and the Bucs have a plus-24 point differential, as reported by Andrew Hughes of Athlon Sports 

Moreover, all four NFC South teams sit within one game of each other at the start of the second half of the season. 

The stretch run begins in Detroit against the Lions on Nov. 22, followed by a critical divisional matchup with Carolina. 

“We know if we take care of us, we’re going to be fine,” Bowles said after the Bucs’ loss in Chicago. 

“We get a week off, a lot of people are sore.”