The Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked out of Atlanta with a 16-0 win that hardly looked normal on paper and somehow looked even stranger in real time. They did it without completing a single pass, in a game played through pouring rain, and still came away with a divisional result that pushes them to within a half game of first place in the NFC South.
This was the kind of afternoon where the passing game disappeared completely and nobody in Tampa Bay seemed to care. Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 for zero passing yards after a week in which he had completed just seven passes for 64 yards. Even so, the Buccaneers became just the second team of the Super Bowl era, joining the 1974 Buffalo Bills, to finish a game with zero completions and still control the matchup from start to finish.
The real engine was on the ground. Tampa Bay piled up a franchise-record 324 rushing yards, with Bucky Irving leading the way at 170 yards and Kenny Gainwell adding 140 for the best game of his career. In all three of the Buccaneers’ wins this season, they have topped 240 rushing yards, and that trend was on full display again as they leaned into a physical, punishing style that Atlanta never solved.
The defense matched the offense’s force. Entering Week 8, the Falcons were averaging 31 points per game with Michael Penix Jr. starting, which ranked second in the NFL.
Penix had thrown nine touchdown passes and only one interception before facing Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers shut him out and picked him off four times. The Falcons’ offense never found a rhythm, and the Bucs’ defense made the whole thing look one-sided.
Special teams held up in the weather, too. Chase McLaughlin stayed perfect on the season by going three-for-three on field goals and converting his lone extra-point try despite the wind and rain.
Falcons kicker Nick Folk had a day to forget, with his only field goal attempt never really threatening. In conditions like those, every kick matters, and Tampa Bay got the cleaner execution.
Riley Dixon also delivered a big hidden-yardage performance. He opened with a 29-yard punt, but after that he settled in and flipped the field with three strong boots that pinned Atlanta at the 2-yard line, the 7-yard line and the 12-yard line. In a game built on defense and field position, that kind of response mattered, and Dixon helped keep the Falcons buried while Tampa Bay’s defense kept the pressure on.
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Calijah Kancey gave the Buccaneers another reminder of why his presence matters in the middle of the defense, even when the box score does not tell the whole story. Against Atlanta, he was part of a front that helped Tampa Bay stay organized at the point of attack, with Kancey chipping in three solo tackles and one assist while doing the dirty work that often gets overlooked on a stat sheet.
What stood out was the way he helped the Bucs hold their shape against the run, taking on blockers and helping close off lanes before they could develop. Tampa Bay has plenty of reasons to value disruptive plays from its front, but Kanceys value goes beyond splash moments, and games like this are a good example of why the defense looks different when he is involved. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie Ted Hurst Is Running Out Of Time To Earn Trust
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Buccaneers Face A Vita Vea Decision That Could Shift Fast
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Veas recent extension makes any move feel unlikely, and the Buccaneers are not planning to deal him right now. But his recent dip in performance has added a layer of intrigue to a decision that could move quickly if the next stretch of games changes the teams outlook, leaving Tampa Bay to balance present contention against the kind of long-term roster call that can reshape a defense. [Read more 🡒]