Falcons at Buccaneers, Week 8, Nov. 1, 2026. Image: NFL on YouTube.Zero completions, 324 rushing yards: how the Buccaneers stopped throwing and started winning, step by step
Bucky Irving on Nov. 1, 2026. Image: Tampa Bay Buccaneers video still.0 for 3
Mayfield threw three passes on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. One went deep right for Ted Hurst III in the first quarter, one deep left for Chris Godwin Jr. a few minutes later, and one short to Kenny Gainwell early in the third. None was caught.
He was also sacked once, for a 2-yard loss. Tampa Bay finished with minus-2 net passing yards and won by 16.
“I have not, but you know, it's the first time for everything.”— Todd Bowles, asked if he had ever drawn up a game plan with no completions
Baker Mayfield warms up at Buffalo, November 2025. Photo by WuTang94, cropped and resized.0-4, while still throwing
The season did not start this way. Tampa Bay threw 28 times in a 33-27 loss at Cincinnati, 34 times in a 23-19 home loss to Cleveland and 37 times in a 23-16 loss to Minnesota.
A 17-14 loss to Green Bay made it 0-4. All four losses were by one score.
- Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27, in Cincinnati. Mayfield 23 of 28 for 216 yards.
- Browns 23, Buccaneers 19, in Tampa.
- Vikings 23, Buccaneers 16, in Tampa. Tampa Bay runs for 57 yards.
- Packers 17, Buccaneers 14, in Tampa. Rookie Jalon Daniels starts for an injured Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield speaks to reporters, Oct. 22, 2026. Image: Tampa Bay Buccaneers video still.Three starts for a rookie
Mayfield missed three games with a dislocated thumb. Daniels started against Green Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh and went 1-2.
The win was a Thursday night game in Dallas, 24-16, and it was the first sign of what was coming: Bucky Irving ran 21 times for 165 yards, and Tampa Bay ran for 241 as a team. Then the Buccaneers threw 43 times in a 26-19 overtime loss to Pittsburgh and fell to 1-5.
Buccaneers pass attempts by game
Mayfield returned with a pad stitched onto the back of his glove to keep the thumb from bending backward again. His biggest worry, he said, had been taking snaps under center.
Buccaneers at Panthers, Week 7. Image: NFL on YouTube.The recipe in Charlotte
In his return at Carolina, Mayfield completed 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay ran 49 times for 258 yards. Irving had 106 and two touchdowns, Gainwell 88 and Sean Tucker 52, including a 46-yard touchdown run.
The Buccaneers led 33-6 at halftime and won 43-13 against the team that had led the NFC South.
“We know what the recipe is for us.”— Baker Mayfield, after the 43-13 win at Carolina
Buccaneers rushing yards by game
A Buccaneers running back carries at Raymond James Stadium, Sept. 8, 2024. Photo by Joe Glorioso for All-Pro Reels, resized.Rain, wind and 56 carries
Atlanta came in fourth in the league against the run. It rained all afternoon and the wind was blowing, and Bowles said nobody needed to announce the plan.
“We're not going to say we're not going to throw the ball. The conditions told them that.”— Todd Bowles
The only touchdown came in the third quarter. A six-play, 90-yard drive ended with Irving’s 4-yard score, a few minutes after his 46-yard run, the longest of the day. Chase McLaughlin kicked field goals of 46, 34 and 42 yards and is 19 for 19 this season.
The 324 yards broke the franchise record of 283, set at Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 2015.
Zyon McCollum in Buffalo, November 2025. Photo by WuTang94, cropped and resized.Four interceptions, 0 for 12
The defense made the plan work. Michael Penix Jr. completed 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards and threw four interceptions: two to Alex Anzalone in the first quarter, one to Jacob Parrish in the second and one to Zyon McCollum in the fourth.
Bijan Robinson ran for 76 yards on 19 carries, with one 26-yard run.
How Atlanta's 12 drives ended
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Photo by Bernard Gagnon, resized.The first since 1974
No NFL team had gone a full game without a completion since the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 29, 1974. They won too, 16-12 over the Jets.
That means 52 years between winners with no catches, and Mayfield the first quarterback in more than half a century to win one.
- Bills 16, Jets 12. Buffalo wins without a completion.
- Buccaneers run for 283 yards at Philadelphia, the franchise record for 11 years.
- Buccaneers 16, Falcons 0. No completions, 324 rushing yards.
“It's winning. That's what I think about it. We won.”— Baker Mayfield
Todd Bowles, Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving after the game, Nov. 1, 2026. Image: Tampa Bay Buccaneers video still."Keep their shovels close"
The last two weeks look nothing like the first six. Tampa Bay has run 105 times for 582 yards and thrown 14 passes, and it has outscored its opponents 59-13.
Irving has 728 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 147 carries this season. He also says it will not look like this every week, and that there will be games when the receivers “go off.”
“I told them to keep their shovels close because we've got a lot more digging to do. But it gets us back in it.”— Todd Bowles, on the 3-5 Buccaneers
Tampa Bay plays next at Chicago on Sunday night, Nov. 8, at 8:20 p.m. ET, which is 3:20 a.m. Monday in Cairo. It is a homecoming for Irving, who grew up in Chicago.
The Buccaneers are 3-5, with four division games still to play. After two weeks of running the ball, the open question is what happens when the weather is dry and an opponent stacks the box.
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