The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting at 3-6, but the season is not fully slipping away yet. They’re only half a game behind in the NFC South, and they’ve reached the bye week with a chance to regroup before the standings move any further against them.
What stands out most about Tampa Bay right now is how lopsided the offense has become. The Bucs have been strong on defense and effective on the ground, but the passing game has struggled to keep up. That imbalance has put them on track for something you almost never see in today’s NFL.
At the midway point of the season, Tampa Bay has 1,475 rushing yards and 1,277 passing yards. No other team in the league can say that.
It’s a striking number, and it says plenty about where the offense is right now. In a league built around throwing the ball, the Buccaneers are moving in the opposite direction.
The last team to finish a season with more rushing yards than passing yards was the Chicago Bears in 2022. They ran for 3,014 yards and threw for 2,219, and they ended up 3-14.
Baker Mayfield’s season has been a major part of the issue. He has not played up to the contract extension he made such a point of discussing before the season, and statistically this has been the worst year of his veteran career.
His injury absence also forced Tampa Bay to lean even harder on the run game, with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels taking over at quarterback. On top of that, the play-calling by Zac Robinson and the lack of elite weapons on the outside have made life tougher for the passing attack.
So while it would still be a surprise to see the Buccaneers finish with more rushing yards than passing yards, that’s where the numbers are headed right now. The bye week gives them a chance to clean things up through the air and try to build a more balanced offense. If that happens, defenses won’t be able to key in on one part of the attack, and Tampa Bay could start turning those yards into more points and more wins.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Is Creating A Buccaneers Problem They Can't Ignore
Baker Mayfields uneven play has become hard for the Buccaneers to brush aside, especially with the passing game sputtering and the decision-making looking shakier than Tampa Bay can afford. The contrast with rookie Jalon Daniels only sharpens the conversation, because even with his inexperience, Daniels has started to look like a more viable option if the offense keeps stalling.
Todd Bowles is now in a spot every coach wants to avoid, weighing whether patience with his starter is helping the team or simply delaying a tougher call. If Mayfield does not clean things up soon, the Bucs may have to confront a quarterback question they hoped would stay theoretical, with the bye week looming as the next natural checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Be Underusing A Back Who Could Change This Offense
The Buccaneers have made a noticeable effort to lean on the run game lately, with Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell handling much of the work out of the backfield. But there is another layer to that rotation worth watching, because Sean Tucker has continued to flash efficiency whenever he gets the ball and has looked like a back who can add a different kind of juice to the offense.
Even with that production, Tucker has not been featured nearly as often as the other options in the rushing mix, and his usage has lagged far behind what his performance metrics suggest he deserves. For a Tampa Bay offense trying to find the right balance and keep defenses honest, the question is whether the Buccaneers are leaving something on the table by not giving Tucker a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Bucky Irving And Tampa Bays Breakout Defense Are Keeping Hope Alive
At the midway point of a 3-6 season, the Buccaneers are still hanging around the NFC South race, sitting just half a game back of the division lead. The record is hardly where Tampa Bay wanted it, but there have been enough bright spots to keep the season from slipping away entirely, starting with Bucky Irvings emergence as a reliable offensive spark and a defense that has found ways to make life difficult for opponents.
The secondary has been a big part of that turnaround, with Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish both making their presence felt in coverage while rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter has added value against the run. Irvings production has given the offense a steadier floor, and the defenses playmaking has helped keep Tampa Bay in games it might have lost earlier in the year, leaving the Bucs with at least a path to matter as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]