Head coach Todd Bowles was not disappointed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ unorthodox win.
Amid a torrential downpour at Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs dispensed with passing the ball. Quarterback Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 through the air; but the offense put up 324 yards on the ground while the defense pitched a shutout in the 16-0 win.
“I have not, but you know, [there’s a] first time for everything,” Bowles told reporters after the game when asked whether he has ever drawn up a game plan where the offense doesn’t pass the ball.”
He was then asked if he had a problem with it.
“None at all, considering,” he said.
The Bucs became the first team since the Buffalo Bills in 1974 to win a game without completing a pass.
But the offense was not helpless as the rain came down in sheets over western Florida. Running back Bucky Irving carried the ball 27 times for 170 yards and the game’s lone touchdown. His backfield mate Kenneth Gainwell added another 25 carries for 140 yards. Mayfield had 4 scrambles for 14 yards.
Bowles shot down a reporter who asked if he told offensive coordinator Zac Robinson that the offense was not going to run the ball.
“We didn’t say we’re not going to throw the ball, the conditions told him that,” he said. “I mean, you could see it. It’s a downpour down there and the wind’s blowing. You can kind of see that ball wasn’t going anywhere.”
On the other side, the Bucs defense pitched a shutout. Despite having one of the league’s premier backs in Bijan Robinson, the Falcons found themselves in a double-digit hole by the fourth quarter, and had to lean on Penix’s arm despite the torrential downpour.
It did not turn out well: Penix went 8 of 24 for 125 yards and was intercepted 4 times. Even when they did go to the ground, the Bucs held Robinson to just 76 yards on 19 carries; Khalil Herbert added another 12 on 4 touches; Penix had 5 rushes for 11 yards.
With his defensive background, Bowles was asked if it was his dream for the defense to pitch a shutout and not to have to pass the ball.
“Only if we’re running the ball as good as we run it,” he said. “If we’re not running the ball, then it’s not a dream. I mean, we knew it was going to be a nasty day and what type of conditions it was going to be. So we were worried about ball security, and we took care of it other than a fumble in the end zone.”
Irving and Gainwell have both borne the offense on their backs over the past two weeks. In the Bucs’ 43-13 beatdown of the Carolina Panthers, Irving rushed 24 times for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Gainwell had 14 rushes for 88 yards.
“They’ve done a great job pounding the rock, especially the last two weeks,” he said.
“I mean, they’ve been getting yeoman’s work carries, and the offensive line has done an outstanding job. Of course, that includes the receivers and tight ends. And we knew what kind of game it was going to be.
“Last week, it just turned into that. This week with the weather, you [knew] both sides [were] going to pound the ball and kind of see who made mistakes and that way. And we won the turnover battle. So that was important.”
Last week, Mayfield went just 7 of 11 passing for 64 yards and a TD. But despite not slinging the rock like he is used to, Bowles said that he is more than making up for it by being an outstanding field general.
“He’s played great quarterback play,” Bowles said. “He’s gotten us in and out of plays, and understanding situations, and where the blitz is coming from, and getting us into the right play and checking to the right call at the right time. So, he’s instrumental in all of this.”
