The Buccaneers set a franchise-record with 324 rushing yards in Sunday’s 16-0 win over the Falcons and they made a little other history as well. The Bucs did not have a completed pass in the game, which was a first in franchise history and it made them the first team since the Bills in 1974 to go an entire game without completing a pass. The game was played in wet and sloppy conditions that joined Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield’s injured right thumb as reasons why the Bucs only tried three passes all game. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win ,” Mayfield said, via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “That’s all that matters to me.” Mayfield was 7-of-11 in Tampa’s Week 7 win over the Panthers and the team has called a total of 16 pass plays over the last two weeks. They’ve called 104 running plays and the back-to-back wins should serve as proof of concept for a run-focused approach no matter the weather in the weeks to come
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) pulled off a 16-0, rain-soaked home victory against the Atlanta Falcons (3-5) on Sunday with a method not seen since 1945. With quarterback Baker Mayfield not completing any of his three passes, the Buccaneers are now the first team with no completions in a game since the 1974 Buffalo Bills , who won their completion-less game 16-12 against the New York Jets . Tampa Bay is also the first team since the 1945 Pittsburgh Steelers to win a game by double digits without having a completion. Those Steelers beat the Cardinals 23-0 in that game. Finally, the Buccaneers became the first team to produce no completions and over 300 yards rushing (324) in a game since the Boston Braves, now the Washington Commanders , in 1933. Mayfield returned from a three-game absence because of a right thumb dislocation in Tampa Bay's 43-13 road win at the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, and with the heavy rain in Tampa on Sunday, the Buccaneers chose to lean exclusively on their ground game. They racked up 324 yards rushing, with running back Bucky Irving leading the way with 170 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries. He also averaged 6.3 yards per carry. No. 2 running back Kenneth Gainwell also chipped in another 140 yards rushing on 25 carries for a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. Mayfield added 14 yards on the ground on four carries. Irving and Gainwell are now the first teammate duo in NFL history to each have 25-plus carries and 125-plus rushing yards in the same game. Incredibly, the Buccaneers have now won consecutive games against their NFC South division rivals, with Mayfield completing seven of his 14 throws for 64 yards and a touchdown in the last two weeks. They have survived a malfunctioning passing game because of their run game and smothering defense. In Week 7, they forced four Panthers turnovers, including a 32-yard fumble return touchdown. On Sunday against the Falcons, they forced Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr . into a career-high four interceptions, and he completed just eight of his 24 throws for 125 yards. This is the first time a Falcons quarterback has thrown four interceptions in a game since Penix Jr.'s predecessor, Kirk Cousins , in a 17-13 Week 13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 season. The Panthers stayed in first place in the NFC South with a 3-4 record entering Week 9, with the Buccaneers (3-5) and the Falcons (3-5) right behind them. The New Orleans Saints sit in last place at 2-5 and are on a bye in Week 8. Through the first half of the season, the NFC South remains the most wide-open, wacky division in the NFL
On a rainy, windy, sloppy day in Tampa, the Buccaneers have taken a two-possession lead without completing a pass. The Buccaneers lead the Falcons 9-0, even though quarterback Baker Mayfield is 0-for-9 passing. That’s because Falcons quarterback Michael Penix has been even worse. His stats are currently 2-for-9 for 24 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Buccaneers linebacker Alex Anzalone has two of those interceptions, and the third went to Jacob Parrish. The Falcons are going to need to find some way to get points on the board in the wet weather. It would help to stop throwing the ball to the other team
Predictions for the Falcons-Buccaneers matchup highlight key players such as Michael Penix Jr., Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Baker Mayfield, and Bucky Irving
We're in the midst of spooky season, and the NFL has never been shy about giving fans a jump scare. Every week, there are results that we didn't see coming around the corner, and they essentially jump out in front of us like a villain in a horror movie. I mean, who had J.J. McCarthy essentially coming back from the dead like a zombie, reviving his career with New York and rolling into Houston to upset the Texans ? Oh yeah. We did. The McCarthy-led Giants pulling off the upset was our best call in last week's column, but not our only victory. We also pinpointed the 49ers as a favorite on upset alert, and they ended up falling to the Falcons . There was more trick than treat, as our three other predictions didn't come to fruition, but we'll take what we can get. Now, it's time to look forward to Week 8 and identify a handful of favorites who are officially on upset alert. All lines via DraftKings ; All times ET Baker Mayfield made his return in Week 7, but he didn't have to do much to ensure the win for Tampa Bay. He threw just 11 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown during a 43-13 win over the Panthers . Carolina largely tripped over itself in the losing effort, and self-inflicted mistakes helped create a 33-6 hole at halftime. I'm not sure Atlanta will give the Bucs that type of gift for the second week in a row, and it could force Mayfield to prove he's healthy in this NFC South matchup. The Falcons are allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (88.9) in the NFL this season, so Bucky Irving may not have the same level of success he's had on the ground, rushing for over 100 yards in two of Tampa's previous three games. That puts even more emphasis on Mayfield dropping back to pass. When he does, he'll face an Atlanta pass rush that ranks fourth in pressure rate (41.4) coming into Week 8. EPA per dropback -0.21 Worst (among 33 QBs) Yards per attempt 6.3 24th Passer rating 83.0 24th There's a recipe here for Mayfield to struggle through the air as he works his way back from that right thumb injury and the Falcons feast. Raymond James Stadium also hasn't been the strongest home-field advantage for the Bucs either, as they've struggled to secure a win at home this season (0-4). The Raiders are reeling right now. They've lost four straight, and their defense has completely cratered over that stretch, allowing 35.8 points per game and 11 passing touchdowns. It's a pretty jarring contrast when you look at the defensive production from Week 1-3 and Week 4-7 side by side and see just how far they've fallen. PPG 18.0 35.8 YPG 316.7 416.5 Pass TD 5 11 Takeaways 9 3 Looks bad, right? But let's peel things back a bit more and see who've they've faced over this losing skid, specifically at quarterback. During this losing streak, the Raiders have faced Patrick Mahomes , Drake Maye , Josh Allen , and Matthew Stafford . When you see the elite quarterbacks they've faced, it's no wonder they've been sliced up. Let me ask you this: Does Geno Smith fit in that tier of quarterbacks? Of course not. While Smith has been serviceable for New York, he doesn't instill the same fear as the other quarterbacks Las Vegas has faced, so I think the defense will have a chance to rebound a bit. That's especially true given the Jets have the second-worst red-zone touchdown percentage in the NFL. With a better effort from the defense, the Raiders offense has the pieces in place to put up points and roll into MetLife Stadium and pull off the upset. It's the unstoppable force ( Lions offense) against the immovable object (Vikings defense) that is set to square off on Sunday at Ford Field. Minnesota is 6-0 to begin the season, but most folks (including the oddsmakers) believe this will be the spot on the schedule where they suffer their first loss. The Lions offense has scored the second-most points per game (30.7) and totaled the second-most yards per game (397.3) in the NFL this season. They're also tied for the second-fewes
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The Carolina Panthers possess the NFL's worst run defense, allowing 153.2 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Their struggles were highlighted in a recent loss to the Buccaneers, where opposing running backs Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell, and Sean Tucker had significant success. Linebacker Bobby Okereke acknowledged the need to address these defensive weaknesses, especially with teams likely to exploit them based on game film. Despite their defensive issues, the Panthers currently lead their division at 3-3
