The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a way to win 16-0 over the Atlanta Falcons without ever completing a pass, and that alone puts them in rare air. Baker Mayfield threw just three passes across 60 offensive plays and finished the game with zero completions, making Tampa Bay only the second team in the Super Bowl era to go an entire game without completing a pass. The only other team to do it was the 1974 Buffalo Bills.
The weird part is that the passing game barely mattered. Tampa Bay leaned hard into the ground attack and got exactly what it needed from Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell. The Buccaneers didn’t just run the ball well - they overwhelmed Atlanta with it.
Mayfield’s no-completion outing came one week after he attempted only 11 passes in a lopsided win over the Panthers, another sign that Tampa Bay is settling into its run-first identity. Last week, the Buccaneers piled up 258 rushing yards on 49 carries and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt. Against the Falcons, they went even bigger, setting a franchise record with 324 rushing yards on 56 carries while averaging 5.8 yards per rush.
Irving led the charge with 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries.
That production was even more striking considering Atlanta entered Week 8 as the NFL’s No. 4 rushing defense, giving up just 89 yards per game. None of that mattered once Tampa Bay started leaning on the Falcons in the trenches.
The Buccaneers have been winning with a style that leaves little room for opponents to breathe. The line and tight ends have been more physical than the defenders across from them, and Tampa Bay has been dictating terms on the ground. That approach, paired with an elite defense, has given the Buccaneers a formula that is becoming tough to handle when they execute it.
Mayfield, for his part, doesn’t need to be the centerpiece every week. The $55 million quarterback has now avoided turnovers in back-to-back games and helped Tampa Bay earn consecutive divisional wins after returning from injury. The Buccaneers may prefer a little more production through the air, but as long as the results keep coming, they’re not going to complain about how they get there.
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Baker Mayfield finished 0-for-3 through the air with minus-two net passing yards, yet the Bucs still controlled the game by staying committed to the run and letting their defense create extra chances. It was the kind of win that raises eyebrows around the league and inside the locker room, because the next question is not how they pulled it off, but how often this formula can actually travel. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Face A Huge NFC South Test As Turnaround Gets Real
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For Tampa Bay, the spotlight stays on Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving as the offense tries to keep building after the recent uptick. Atlanta brings plenty of problems of its own, especially with Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts giving the Falcons two dangerous options to lean on. The Bucs have already shown they can respond after a rough stretch, but this is the kind of test that can reveal whether the turnaround is for real or still a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]