The offense run by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was the most predictable of the 2026 NFL season.
Facing the Atlanta Falcons in a key divisional matchup of Week 8, in a game played in a downpour that left standing water pooling on the field in Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers attempted only three passes, completing none.
Unwilling and unable to throw in soggy conditions, they ran it 56 times. The strategy won them the game, 16-0.
“First time for everything,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said.
To say it was an unusual game plan
To say it was an unusual game plan was an understatement. The last time an NFL team had more rushing attempts than Tampa’s 56 was in 2010. The Buccaneers were the first team to win without a completed pass since Buffalo in 1974, per the league. Rarer still was that a team hadn’t won by double digits without completing a pass since 1945, according to one NFL researcher.
The Buccaneers had been forced to rely on a ground-heavy offense last week, as well, when quarterback Baker Mayfield threw only 11 times in his first game back since he injured his thumb. Tampa rushed for 258 yards in that win against Carolina, then leaned on a similar plan Sunday as the forecast showed a storm rolling over Florida. Nearly an inch of rain had fallen over Tampa by kickoff, and the rain didn’t stop as the game began.
Mayfield finished 0-3 passing, but he was all smiles after the game, considering it was Tampa’s first home win this season after an 0-4 start.
Did Bowles tell Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator not to pass?
We didn’t say you’re not going to throw
“We didn’t say you’re not going to throw the ball; the conditions told him that,” Bowles said. “You could see it’s a downpour down there and the wind’s blowing. You can kind of see the ball’s not going anywhere.”
Against the Falcons, Tampa Bay gained a franchise-record 324 yards on the ground, an average of 5.8 yards per rush, as the backfield tandem of Bucky Irving (170 yards) and Kenny Gainwell (140) repeatedly ran through Atlanta’s defense.
Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed just eight of 24 passes and was intercepted four times and fumbled once. It was a marked difference from Penix’s last two games, in which he’d thrown for six touchdowns and zero interceptions combined. Mayfield fumbled three times, though he didn’t lose any. Irving did lose a fumble.
“It’s a win, so,” Mayfield said. “I’ll take it, man.”
