The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on a rain-soaked Sunday, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a game without completing a single pass. Baker Mayfield went 0 for 3 as the Bucs leaned on the ground game and set a franchise record with 324 rushing yards.
Bucky Irving carried 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown, Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries, and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals to stay perfect this season at 19 for 19. The 324 rushing yards topped the previous franchise high of 283, set in a 45-17 win at Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 2015, when Doug Martin ran for 235.
The only other Super Bowl era game without a completed pass came on Sept. 29, 1974, when the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 16-12: Joe Ferguson went 0 for 2, O.J. Simpson ran for 117 yards and Joe Namath completed 2 of 18 passes for 33 yards.
Michael Penix Jr. went 8 for 24 for 125 yards with four interceptions for Atlanta (3-5), and Bijan Robinson was held to 76 yards on 19 carries. Alex Anzalone intercepted Penix twice, and Jacob Parrish picked off a fourth-down pass at Tampa Bay's 17. Nick Folk missed a 53-yard field goal on the Falcons' opening drive, while Irving lost a fumble out of the end zone for a touchback after taking a lateral from Mayfield, a play on which Jessie Bates III forced the fumble. Irving's 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it 16-0.
Mayfield was playing his second game back after missing three weeks with a fractured thumb and was facing former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, with whom the pair are the only quarterback-coach combination to win a playoff game for the Browns in the 2000s; Mayfield was upset that Stefanski did not reach out after the Browns traded him to Carolina in 2022. The Buccaneers (3-5) have won three of four since an 0-4 start and sit a half-game behind Carolina (3-4) in the NFC South. Last week they beat the Panthers 43-13, with Mayfield completing 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards.
For the Falcons, wide receiver Zacchariah Branch and defensive end Samson Ebukam left with hamstring injuries and running back Brian Robinson was inactive with a hamstring issue. The Buccaneers lost outside linebacker Yaya Diaby to a first-quarter knee injury, and receiver Emeka Egbuka was inactive with a foot injury.
Atlanta travels to Madrid next Sunday to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL's second regular-season game in Spain, while Tampa Bay visits Soldier Field for a primetime matchup with the Bears.
The front page in your inbox each weekday morning: the lead, the picks, and why each one earned its place.
Rushing yards by leading rushers in Sunday's game
yards
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
§
Analysis
Why This Matters
The game is only the second in the Super Bowl era won without a completed pass, and the first since 1974, a striking outlier in a passing-dominated league.
The Buccaneers' turnaround, from an 0-4 start to a half-game behind Carolina in the NFC South, tightens the division race.
Baker Mayfield attempted only three passes in his second game back from a fractured thumb, leaving questions about the passing attack as the schedule turns to primetime games.
Background
Winning without completing a pass is extraordinarily rare in the modern NFL. The only previous instance came on Sept. 29, 1974, when the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 16-12, with O.J. Simpson carrying the load on a rain-soaked field. Sunday's wet, sloppy conditions in Tampa made a similar run-first plan viable, and the Buccaneers' rushing record followed.
What to Watch
Whether Mayfield's passing returns as his fractured thumb heals: he threw just three times here, so the run-first approach may be partly forced.
The Falcons' trip to Madrid, where they face the Bengals in the NFL's second regular-season game in Spain.
Whether the Buccaneers can extend their run, now 3-5 and close behind Carolina, when they meet the Bears at Soldier Field next Sunday night.
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
SupportedThe Buccaneers beat the Falcons 16-0 without completing a pass.Chicago Sun-Times: “Baker Mayfield didn't complete a pass but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on Sunday”
SupportedThe Buccaneers were the first team since 1974 to finish a game without a completion.Chicago Sun-Times: “The Buccaneers (3-5) set a team record for yards rushing in a game with 324, and became the first team to have zero completions since Buffalo on Sept. 29, 1974.”
SupportedTampa Bay set a franchise rushing record with 324 yards.Chicago Sun-Times: “The Buccaneers (3-5) set a team record for yards rushing in a game with 324”
SupportedThe game was played in heavy rain on Sunday.Chicago Sun-Times: “Playing in a driving rain for most of the afternoon”
SupportedBaker Mayfield went 0 for 3 in his second game back after missing three weeks with a fractured thumb.Chicago Sun-Times: “Mayfield was 0 for 3 in his second game back after missing three weeks with a fractured thumb.”
SupportedBucky Irving carried 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown.Chicago Sun-Times: “Irving ran for 170 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries”
SupportedKenny Gainwell ran for 140 yards on 25 carries.Chicago Sun-Times: “Gainwell ran for 140 on 25 carries”
SupportedChase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and was 19 for 19 this season.Chicago Sun-Times: “Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals to stay perfect this season at 19 for 19.”
SupportedThe previous Buccaneers rushing record was 283 yards, set at Philadelphia in a 45-17 win on Nov. 22, 2015.Chicago Sun-Times: “Tampa Bay's previous rushing high was 283 yards — including 235 from Doug Martin — in a 45-17 win at Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 2015.”
SupportedMichael Penix Jr. went 8 for 24 for 125 yards with four interceptions.Chicago Sun-Times: “Michael Penix Jr. went 8 for 24 for 125 yards with four interceptions for Atlanta (3-5).”
SupportedBijan Robinson had 76 yards on 19 carries.Chicago Sun-Times: “Bijan Robinson was held to 76 yards on 19 carries.”
SupportedMayfield was upset that Kevin Stefanski did not reach out after the Browns traded him to Carolina in 2022.Chicago Sun-Times: “Mayfield was upset that Stefanski didn't reach out to him after the Browns traded him to Carolina in 2022.”