Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield rushed for a touchdown against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Nov. 24, 2024 Credit: Photo via Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a game that featured defensive lineman Vita Vea lining up at the fullback position on two separate occasions, rushing touchdowns from all three Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs, plus another from quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Bucs took home a 30-7 victory over the hapless New York Giants.

Leading up to the game, the G-men went through some quarterback controversy after benching and releasing former starter Daniel Jones, then turning to fan-favorite Tommy DeVito to face the Bucs as they tried to avoid falling to a 2-9 record.

New York wasn’t the only team having a tough time as of late..

The Bucs were coming off a Bye Week much healthier than they’ve been in a long time, with both starting cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum and star wideout Mike Evans healthy.

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But Tampa Bay did much better than New York, earning a 30-7 blowout at MetLife Stadium that was over by the end of the 1st half, with the Bucs taking a 23-0 lead into the break after limiting the Giants offense to under 100 total yards.

The Bucs’ rushing attack continues to be a surprising strong suit for the team, as it racked up150 yards and scored all four of its touchdowns on the ground.

Despite being without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who was held out due to a knee injury, the offensive line did its job not only creating room to run but protecting Mayfield, who celebrated one TD by impersonating DeVito.

Mayfield kept his shirt clean, too, and wasn’t sacked at all Sunday afternoon despite the Giants posting the highest sack rate going into the 1 p.m. matchup.

On the other side of the ball, the Bucs defense did a tremendous job of limiting DeVito and making him uncomfortable in his first start of the season, bringing the second-year man down four times and holding the Giants to 4.4 yards-per-play for the game.

The Bucs advance their record to 5-6 on the season, still in good position to make a run for a playoff spot or the division with one of the weakest remaining schedules in football.

Sunday’s win was an expected result and one that the Bucs would’ve been killed mercilessly for if they managed to blow it, but a win’s a win, even if it’s against the New York Giants.

Fire those cannons, the Bucs are back on the right side of things for the first time in over a month.

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This article appears in Nov 21-27, 2024.