In what could be described as one of the ugliest games of football played in the past 5 years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated in a 16-0 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Following the theme from last week’s victory over another division rival, the Carolina Panthers, the Bucs pounded the ball the entire afternoon, setting a new franchise record for team rushing yards in a single game with 324.
The previous record, set in 2015 in a November victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, was 283.
In another silly development, quarterback Baker Mayfield did not complete a single pass the entire game. Yes, you read that right. The Bucs won a football game by multiple possessions, in which their starting quarterback did not complete a forward pass.
The afternoon started amidst some absolutely horrendous weather, with the rain coming down in buckets throughout the first half and into the third quarter.
Even when it slowed up in the fourth quarter the field conditions were still abysmal.
While the rushing statistics and the literally nonexistent passing game is what will grab plenty of headlines, the defense for the Buccaneers was also elite.
The bad weather certainly played a factor, but they were able to capitalize on some awful throws from from Tampa Bay Tech alum Michael Penix, Jr., who threw four interceptions on the day.
And these weren’t just unlucky passes that the Buccaneers made great plays on, nor were they tipped or dropped throws. No, these were straight up bad decisions, made worse by poor execution.
Given, the first three interceptions were in that monsoon weather of the first half, the last one was just straight up atrocious.
All of that being said, the defense for Tampa Bay was still more than excellent and has submitted two weeks of borderline best-defense-in-football level performances.
Rueben Bain, Jr. finally lived up to his draft selection, submitting an excellent performance and disrupting plays left and right. While the Bucs didn’t end up with any sacks or QB hits as a team, it was easy to see watching the game the impact that Bain, David Walker, and the entire defensive line were having in the difficult weather.
Penix, Jr. struggled mightily not just throwing interceptions but completing passes in general, as he went 8/24 in completions.
The Falcons usually dynamic run game was also stymied by the Bucs stout run defense, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry as a team, which was another result of elite play from the Bucs’ front seven.
One final shout out is for a guy who has been much maligned due to his poor play in the first portion of this season, Alex Anzalone! The former Florida Gator had a pair of interceptions in the first half and had six total tackles, one for a loss.
Throw in three tough field goals from Chase McLaughlin, and the Buccaneers dominated the Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon in every phase of the game.
With the Carolina Panthers losing to the Green Bay Packers Thursday night, the Buccaneers are now 0.5 games out of first place in the NFC South.
This development has been almost entirely because of that excellent ground attack that was historically great Sunday afternoon, but the defense has also been up to the task.
While those first few weeks are hard to forget and caused me to pause before making any grand proclamations for the rest of the season, it’s been incredibly impressive to see the fight that this team has shown.
More than a few people, myself included, counted this team out after the 1-5 start to the season, and who could blame us? Even when Mayfield was healthy, the team was still sputtering at best, and downright bad at worst.
But now this team has, dare I say, momentum, heading into their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Chicago Bears. A game that was once thought of as a joke of a matchup to be played on prime time due to the Buccaneers’ horrendous start, the showdown in Chicago has some stakes and (more importantly) some entertainment value.
The Bears just traded multiple first round picks for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, a run stuffing interior guy who could throw a real wrench into the Bucs’ plans of running the ball (and running it again, and again, and again).
On the other side, a dynamic Bears offense led by one of the premier play callers in the NFL, Ben Johnson, will likely have their work cut out for them against this Bucs defense.
Even before Sunday’s display of dominance, the Bucs had the second best defense in football in expected points added, both total and per play.
Much of that was buoyed by the Panthers game, and now will be even more inflated due to this disastrous performance from the Falcons, but they more than held their own versus the Packers and Bengals.
The Bears will be a tough test for a group that has gotten to flex their muscles against some bad football teams, but as the saying goes, those guys get paid, too.
So, all of that to say, I’m cautiously optimistic Sunday night’s game should be fun. Not optimistic enough to think the Bucs will emerge victorious, but regardless of the result they’re right back in the thick of a tight (but not good) division race.
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This article appears in Oct. 29 – Nov. 04, 2026.
