TAMPA, FL \u2014 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t need an aerial attack to get the job done Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. Behind a record-setting rushing performance and a suffocating defensive effort, the Buccaneers shut out the division-rival Atlanta Falcons 16-0, improving to 3-5 on the season and securing their second consecutive victory.<\/p>\n
In rainy, sloppy conditions, Tampa Bay leaned heavily on its ground game, piling up a franchise-record 324 rushing yards. Running back Bucky Irving led the charge with 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 attempts. Irving’s four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 16-0, putting the finishing touches on an impressive afternoon for the Buccaneers’ rushing attack.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most remarkable statistic? Baker Mayfield didn’t complete a single pass. The Buccaneers quarterback finished 0-for-3 through the air, making Tampa Bay the first NFL team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to win a game without completing a pass.<\/p>\n
While the offense controlled the ground, Tampa Bay’s defense delivered one of its strongest performances of the season. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled throughout the afternoon, completing just 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards while throwing FOUR interceptions. Linebacker Alex Anzalone intercepted Penix twice, while Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum each added a takeaway. The Buccaneers also held Atlanta’s dangerous running back Bijan Robinson to just 76 yards on 19 carries.<\/p>\n
Special teams played a major role as well, with kicker Chase McLaughlin connecting on all three field-goal attempts, converting from 46, 34, and 42 yards. McLaughlin remains perfect on the season, improving to 19-for-19 on field-goal attempts.<\/p>\n
The victory marks Tampa Bay’s third win in its last four games after opening the season 0-4. With the Buccaneers and Falcons now both sitting at 3-5, Tampa Bay remains firmly in the conversation in a wide-open NFC South.<\/p>\n
UP NEXT: The Buccaneers hit the road for a primetime showdown against the Chicago Bears next Sunday night, right here on 98 Rock, your Home of the Bucs! Tampa Bay is looking to extend their winning streak to three games and continue their climb back into the NFC South race.<\/p>\n
PHOTO COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, FL \u2014 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t need an aerial attack to get the job done Sunday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[39878,135,2989,862,39880,137,136,39879],"class_list":["post-444792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-sports-radio-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers-news","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-tampa-bay-rays-radio","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-wdae"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}