Todd Bowles had never drawn up a game plan with no completions, and he did not mind that his team won one. “I have not, but you know, it’s the first time for everything,” the Buccaneers head coach said after Sunday’s 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Asked if he had a problem with it, he said: “Not at all.”
Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 in a steady downpour at Raymond James Stadium, and Tampa Bay finished with minus-2 net passing yards after one sack. The Buccaneers ran the ball 56 times for 324 yards, a franchise record. The old mark was 283 yards, set at Philadelphia on November 22, 2015. They are the first NFL team to go a full game without a completion since the Buffalo Bills on September 29, 1974, who also won, 16-12 over the Jets.
Bucky Irving ran for 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries. Chase McLaughlin made field goals from 46, 34 and 42 yards and is now 19-for-19 this season. The defense intercepted Michael Penix Jr. four times, and Atlanta went 0-for-12 on third down.
“The conditions told them that”
Bowles said nobody had to announce that the Buccaneers would not throw. “We’re not going to say we’re not going to throw the ball. The conditions told them that,” he said. “I mean, you could see it, it was a downpour down there and the wind’s blowing. You can kind of see that ball wasn’t going anywhere.” He said the main worry all day was ball security, and that the team took care of it “other than the fumble in the end zone.”
Asked if it was a dream to win without a completion, he said it only works with a running game like this one. “Only if we’re running the ball as good as we run it,” he said. “And if we’re not running the ball, then it’s not a dream.” He said the backs had done “yeoman’s work” for two weeks and gave credit to the offensive line, receivers and tight ends. “Both sides were going to pound the ball and kind of see who made mistakes,” he said. “And we won the turnover battle. So that was important.”
Atlanta came into the game fourth in the league against the run. Bowles said beating a good run defense was not the point. “I still think they’re good. I mean, it’s gratifying to win,” he said. “In those conditions, we were going to run the ball a lot. They were going to run the ball a lot, and it was just a matter of who let who out a little bit more.” He said the offensive line is improving because “the coaches are figuring out the players, what they can and can’t do, what runs they like and don’t like.”
Anzalone, McCollum and Parrish
Linebacker Alex Anzalone had two of the four interceptions, both in the first half. Bowles said the captain “set the tone real early” and is getting comfortable in the defense. He also praised cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish, who had one interception each. “They’ve been playing great all year. I’ve been saying that nonstop,” he said. “Those two guys make the rush go. They play very sticky coverage.”
Bijan Robinson was held to 76 yards on 19 carries, with one 26-yard run. Bowles said it was about filling gaps and swarming. “It’s hard to tackle that guy with one guy,” he said. He was still not happy with one late pass. “You still don’t like the pass at the end with two guys sitting there that could have made a play and didn’t make the play,” he said. “But we’re growing from that aspect, understanding how we have to win games and play four quarters, and we’re finally jelling as a team.”
“Keep their shovels close”
The Buccaneers started the season 0-4 and have won three of their last four. Bowles said the climb is not finished. “We did a lot to dig ourselves out of it. We’re still in it, being three and five, not being .500 or anything else,” he said. “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.”
Mayfield: “It’s winning. That’s what I think about it”
Mayfield, in his second game back from a fractured thumb, was asked what he thought about being the first quarterback in more than 50 years to win without a completion. “It’s winning. That’s what I think about it,” he said. “We won.” Asked whether he ever imagined he would throw fewer passes than last week, when he went 7-for-11 in a 43-13 win over Carolina, he said: “No, but it’s a win, so I’ll take it.”
He said his job in the rain was to get players lined up, put the offense in the right runs and protect the ball. After some early trouble, the Buccaneers moved to shotgun and pistol sets. “It’s just easier to receive the snaps instead of it coming back through your hands under center,” he said. He said he was trying to “bleed as much clock as possible” and that the three throws felt fine. “Not a thumb issue,” he said.
Bowles said Mayfield has been “instrumental” even without throwing, getting the offense in and out of plays and recognizing where blitzes are coming from. Mayfield said much of that is built into the play calls. “Our coaches do a great job of formatting it that way,” he said. “And our guys do an even better job of making it happen.” Asked about the offensive line, he said: “Incredible. When the team knows that you’re going to be running the ball, that’s imposing your will on somebody.”
Atlanta is coached by Kevin Stefanski, who coached Mayfield in Cleveland. Asked if he talked with Stefanski before or after the game, Mayfield said: “Nope.” He said he is confident in the passing game when it is needed. “Last two weeks we haven’t needed it, and today was more condition-based,” he said. “Whenever we need it, we’ll have it.”
Irving: “Nobody cares. We got to do it again”
Irving said the line made the day possible. “I see a look in their eyes when it’s time to run the ball,” he said. He said the key was to “trust my track” and take what the defense gives. “I had to get out of thinking everything’s going to be a home run,” he said. “As the game goes on, they start wearing down and getting tired.”
He was not interested in the franchise record. “I don’t really care about records. I care about winning,” he said. “So all I got to say is nobody cares. We got to do it again. Move on.” He said he was happy for Gainwell. “I’m not a selfish guy. I’m not a me guy. I just want to win football games,” he said. As for the weather, he said he does not check it. “Rain, snow, muddy, you’re going to have to play in it anyway,” he said.
Irving also owned his fumble. After an Anzalone interception set Tampa Bay up at the Atlanta 18, he took a lateral from Mayfield and lost the ball out of the end zone for a touchback when Jessie Bates III knocked it loose. “I let the team down, and that ain’t me,” Irving said. “I’ve got to hold the ball with two hands, stop trying to put it out there. That’s all me. I’m going to make up for it.” He said his punishment is to pull the sled.
A trip home to Chicago
Irving praised Mayfield’s energy, saying the quarterback notices when a teammate is quiet and tells him to pick it up. “He’s wired different,” Irving said. “He don’t care if he handed it off 20, 30 times. As long as we get the win, he’s always going to have a smile on his face.”
Irving grew up in Chicago, and the Buccaneers play the Bears at Soldier Field next week. “It’s going to be emotional,” he said. “Just being able to go back home to play in front of people that watched me grow, that have seen me develop into the person I am now, is going to be an honor. But I got to try to keep my cool.”
The 3-5 Buccaneers are a half-game behind Carolina in the NFC South. They visit Chicago on Sunday night, November 8, at 8:20 p.m. ET, which is 3:20 a.m. Monday, November 9, in Cairo.
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