Buccaneers Become First NFL Team In 52 Years To Win Without Completing A Pass

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something Sunday that no NFL team had done in 52 years: They won without completing a pass. Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 through the air, but Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell both ran for career highs as Tampa Bay racked up 324 rushing yards in a 16-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons. The only other team in the Super Bowl era to win without a completion was the 1974 Buffalo Bills against the Baltimore Colts, where both teams combined for eight completions. The Buccaneers are the first team to win by double digits without a completion since the 1945 Pittsburgh Steelers shut out the Chicago Cardinals 23-0. On a rainy, windy afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay barely bothered to throw. Mayfield attempted just two passes in the first half and attempted only one in the second. Irving finished with 170 yards on 27 carries, and Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries. The Bucs finished with negative net passing yards, and the last team to rush for 300-plus yards with negative net passing yards was Washington in 1955. The performance continued a record-breaking stretch for Tampa Bay’s ground game. The Buccaneers have rushed for 925 yards over their past four games, the most in franchise history. Atlanta QB Michael Penix Jr. accounted for all eight completions in the game but threw four interceptions and finished with 125 passing yards. Three of Penix’s interceptions came in the first half, and he didn’t have more completions than interceptions until midway through the third quarter. Those eight combined completions were the fewest in an NFL game since Dec. 17, 1978, when the Bills and Baltimore Colts also combined for eight. The win was Tampa Bay’s second straight and moved the Buccaneers to 3-5, matching the Falcons in a wide-open NFC South.