The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into their Week 10 bye with the league’s best ground game, and it’s not particularly close. Through nine games, Tampa Bay is averaging 163.9 rushing yards per contest, the top mark in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus has the Buccaneers out front of Buffalo at 146.6, with Chicago next at 142.0. Baltimore and Kansas City are tied behind them at 137.8, but Tampa Bay still owns a sizable cushion over the pack. The Bucs have piled up 1,475 rushing yards on 294 carries, good for 5.0 yards per attempt and 11 touchdowns.
A huge chunk of that work has come from Bucky Irving, who has become the engine of the attack. He has 825 yards and seven scores on 167 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per rush. Kenny Gainwell has also chipped in with 305 yards on 63 attempts, giving Tampa Bay another steady piece in the backfield.
The biggest statement came in Week 8 against Atlanta, when the Buccaneers set a franchise record with 324 rushing yards in a 16-0 win. Irving led the way with 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 rushes.
That outing followed a 258-yard rushing day against Carolina in Week 7, and Tampa Bay also put up 241 on the ground against Dallas in Week 5. In a four-week stretch, the Buccaneers produced three of the 10 highest single-game rushing totals in franchise history.
And yet, the record still says 3-6. Tampa Bay’s run game has been the offense’s most reliable source of production, but it hasn’t been enough to turn those yards into wins.
With eight games left, the Buccaneers have built a dangerous rushing identity under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The next step is making it count on the scoreboard.
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 🡒]
Bucs Face One Offensive Problem That Could Decide The Division
At the midway point of the season, the Buccaneers are still very much in the NFC South race despite a 3-6 record, sitting just half a game behind the division leader. What stands out most about Tampa Bay, though, is how unusual its offense has become. The Bucs have piled up more rushing yards than passing yards, a rare shape for any modern NFL attack, and it reflects how much the passing game has lagged while the team has tried to stay afloat.
The bye week now looms as a chance to straighten that out before the stretch run. Tampa Bay knows it needs a more balanced offense if it wants to turn a shaky first half into a legitimate division push, and the passing game is the clearest place to look for improvement. If the Buccaneers can get that side of the offense moving again, the rest of the season could look a lot different. [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 🡒]