Bucky Irving didn’t spend much time worrying about the rain after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blanked the Atlanta Falcons 16-0.
For Irving, the only thing that mattered was the result. Tampa Bay got a huge divisional win on a miserable afternoon, and it did so with a performance that looked nothing like a typical passing-day box score. The Buccaneers piled up a franchise-record 324 rushing yards, with Irving and Kenneth Gainwell leading the way, while Baker Mayfield finished with zero completions.
After the game, Irving was asked whether the weather mattered to him. His answer made it clear he was locked in on something bigger than the conditions.
"I really don't care, bro," Irving said after the game when asked if he cares what the weather is. "Like I always said, man, the past two years that I've been here, we started off smoking hot, and towards the back end of the season, we'll kind of tumble.
But just being able to have some adversity, man, life is about adversity. If you don't go through nothing, if you want everything handed to you, I don't want it no other way.
I want it hard because that's how I had to get it my whole life. So just being able to know things are not going to be handed to you.
We got 32 football teams; that's pretty good. Everybody got the same goal.
Everybody want to get to the Super Bowl."
Irving is in his third season with Tampa Bay, and the backdrop to this start is hard to ignore. The Buccaneers won the NFC South in his rookie year, then dropped off last season and missed the division after losing seven of their final nine games.
Now they’re trying to climb back from an 0-4 start and chase the NFC South crown again. Tampa Bay is aiming for its fifth division title in the past six seasons, and the path back has already been steep. Only four teams in NFL history have reached the playoffs after starting 1-5, with the 2020 Washington Commanders the most recent to do it.
Irving said the early-season struggles haven’t shaken the group.
"Everybody want to win, but what are you willing to sacrifice to get to that?" asked Irving after the game.
"Everything's not going to be perfect all the time. So just being able to know that we had some adversity early on, and just being able to stay on the course and keep it going, and trust our coaches to put us in the right position to win every week."
The Buccaneers will be back on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
In Other News...
Calijah Kancey Just Reminded Bucs Fans What This Defense Needs
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
Ted Hurst arrived in Tampa Bay with the kind of rookie buzz that usually comes from a strong college rsum and a promising camp, but the regular season has been a tougher proving ground. Through eight games, the Buccaneers wide receiver has flashed just enough to keep the conversation going, yet his production has been modest as he tries to carve out a bigger role in an offense that has leaned heavily on the run and sputtered at times through the air.
For a player whose calling card was supposed to be reliability on the boundary and the ability to finish contested throws, the margin for error is getting thinner. The Bucs still need answers in the passing game, and Hurst still has time to make himself part of them, but he is also running out of opportunities to show that his college promise can translate when the games count the most. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Vita Vea Decision That Could Shift Fast
The Buccaneers are in a familiar spot for this time of year, still hanging around the playoff race and not acting like a team ready to strip things down at the trade deadline. Even so, defensive tackle Vita Vea has emerged as a name worth watching, with ESPNs Jeremy Fowler reporting that New York is keeping tabs on him while Tampa Bay weighs its own path forward.
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 🡒]