The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off one of the strangest wins in recent memory Sunday, beating the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 without completing a single pass.
Bucky Irving powered the offense with a career-high 170 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Kenny Gainwell added a career-best 140 yards on the ground as Tampa Bay (3-5) piled up a franchise-record 324 rushing yards in a rain-soaked game. The Buccaneers won for the second straight week and moved within a half-game of the Carolina Panthers for first place in the NFC South.
Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 passing, making Tampa Bay the first winning team in 52 years to finish a game without a completed pass. The last time it happened for a winner was Buffalo’s Joe Ferguson, who went 0-for-2 against the New York Jets on Sept. 29, 1974.
Atlanta (3-5) was undone by Michael Penix Jr.’s four interceptions. He finished 8 of 24 for 125 yards as the Falcons dropped their third game in four tries.
The game stayed ugly from the start for Atlanta. Nick Folk opened with a missed 53-yard field goal, and Tampa Bay answered with Chase McLaughlin’s 46-yard kick to take the lead. Penix’s first pass of the next series was intercepted by Alex Anzalone.
The Buccaneers then had a chance to extend the lead, but Jessie Bates III forced Irving to fumble through the end zone for a touchback. Tampa Bay still kept pressing, and after Penix was picked off again by Anzalone, McLaughlin drilled a 34-yard field goal to make it 6-0.
Penix’s rough first half kept spiraling when a badly thrown fourth-and-6 pass was intercepted by Jacob Parrish at the Tampa Bay 17. McLaughlin added a 42-yard field goal to stretch the lead to nine.
Tampa Bay made it 16-0 with 3:47 left in the third quarter when Irving finished a 4-yard run for the game’s only touchdown.
Penix threw his fourth interception on the next drive, with Zyon McCollum picking him off at the Buccaneers’ 14-yard line after Atlanta had driven to the Tampa Bay 24.
The Falcons got one last shot when Penix hit Jahan Dotson for a 76-yard gain to the Tampa Bay 22 with less than 4:30 remaining, but Atlanta turned the ball over on downs and Tampa Bay closed it out.
In Other News...
Kyle Pitts Could Decide Everything For Falcons Against The Bucs
Kyle Pitts has started to look like the kind of weapon the Falcons always hoped he would be, and the timing could not be better. Since his contract extension, he has become a bigger part of Atlantas offense and has found the end zone four times in his last three games, giving the Falcons a reliable middle-of-the-field option as they head into a matchup that could demand exactly that kind of production.
The Buccaneers have been sturdy against wide receivers and running backs, which is why Pitts looms so large in this one. His history against Tampa Bay only adds to the intrigue, since he has consistently given the Bucs problems and could end up being the matchup Atlanta leans on most if the game starts tilting toward a tight end-driven plan. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Got Pulled Into An NFL Rule Debate Against Tampa Bay
A weird early sequence in Tampa Bay briefly put the Falcons at the center of one of the NFLs most debated rules. Baker Mayfield botched a snap, recovered it and got the ball to Bucky Irving, only for Jessie Bates III to jar it loose and send the play into chaos. Atlanta had a chance to turn the mistake into a major swing, but the moment ended with the kind of ruling that always seems to spark arguments about fairness and intent.
Instead of a takeaway that could have changed the tone of the game, the Falcons watched the sequence finish as a touchback and the Buccaneers keep their lead. It was the sort of break that can linger, especially in a division game where every possession matters and every unusual rule interpretation gets magnified. Atlanta was left to move on quickly, even if plenty of viewers likely did not. [Read more 🡒]
Jessie Bates Keeps Giving The Falcons A Defensive Edge They Need
The Peanut Punch has become one of the NFLs more recognizable turnover tools, and Jessie Bates III has made it a natural part of Atlantas defensive identity. The Falcons safety has built a reputation for arriving on time, striking cleanly at the ball and turning routine coverage snaps into sudden momentum swings, the kind of plays that can change a game without ever looking flashy on the stat sheet.
Since arriving in Atlanta in 2023, Bates has piled up the kind of takeaway production that coaches covet, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been quick to praise how precisely he executes the technique. It showed up again in a recent game, when Bates helped the Falcons tilt the field with a strip and an interception, reinforcing why he has become such a valuable edge for a defense that needs every extra possession it can get. [Read more 🡒]