The Tampa Bay Buccaneers keep running into the same wall on offense, and Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers made it even harder to ignore. The passing game has drawn most of the attention this season, but the ground game hasn’t been nearly good enough either, and that’s a big reason the Bucs are stuck.
Bucky Irving remains the lead back, and he’s had a few solid outings, but the overall rushing numbers still land Tampa Bay in the bottom half of the NFL. Against Green Bay, Irving handled a team-high 16 carries and finished with 61 yards. Jalon Daniels, making his NFL debut, ended up as the more dangerous runner with 55 yards on eight carries.
Daniels’ first game under center wasn’t disastrous by rookie standards, and he showed a few encouraging signs. Even so, the offense never found a rhythm, and the Bucs’ struggles went well beyond one quarterback.
What stood out most on Sunday was that Tampa Bay’s other backs actually produced. The Buccaneers’ only two touchdowns came from the running back room, with Sean Tucker and Kenny Gainwell both making their presence felt.
Tucker, who had been largely absent despite a strong second half of the 2025 NFL regular season on an otherwise bad team, delivered on his chance. He converted a huge fourth down and later powered in a bulldozing touchdown.
Gainwell also gave the offense something it has needed, scoring on a pass play. That’s exactly the kind of role he was brought in to fill.
There’s an obvious mismatch in how Tampa Bay is using its backfield and what the numbers suggest it should be doing. The Buccaneers are in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards, but they’re also in the top 10 in rushing yards per attempt. That should be pushing the team toward more carries, not fewer.
Instead, the load has leaned too heavily on Irving, while Tucker and Gainwell have been underused. Gainwell has only 13 carries this season, and Tucker got his first three rushing touches of the year this past weekend against Green Bay. In the passing game, Gainwell is averaging just three targets per game out of the backfield, even though he offers more playmaking ability with the ball in his hands than Cade Otton.
Zac Robinson and the Buccaneers have to find a way to take some pressure off their struggling quarterbacks. The simplest answer is right there: use the three running backs they already have.
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Buccaneers Face A Brutal Thursday Test With Early Pressure Mounting
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For Tampa Bay, the challenge is not just surviving the short week but finding enough stability to hang around against a Cowboys team that needs better defense while counting on its offense to set the tone at home. The matchup feels like a steep ask already, and the expectation around it is leaning heavily toward Dallas taking control by a wide margin. [Read more 🡒]