TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay found a way to beat Atlanta on Sunday without a single completed pass. The Buccaneers leaned on two running backs in a steady rain at Raymond James Stadium and walked off with a 16-0 shutout of the Falcons.
Baker Mayfield threw just three times and connected on none of them. It was the first game since Sept. 29, 1974, when Buffalo topped the New York Jets 16-12, that a team finished with zero completions, and only the second time in the Super Bowl era that a team won that way.
The ground game made up for everything. Bucky Irving carried 27 times for 170 yards and a score, and Kenny Gainwell piled up 140 yards on 25 tries. The Buccaneers totaled 324 rushing yards, a new franchise single-game record.
Coach Todd Bowles told reporters afterward he had never won a game without a completion before, and said the weather, not a game plan, took the passing game away.
Atlanta kept trying to throw and paid for it. Michael Penix Jr. was intercepted four times and finished 8 of 24 for 125 yards, with three of those picks coming in the first 18 minutes. Bijan Robinson managed 76 yards on 19 carries against a defense that kept the Falcons off the board all day.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin made three field goals and remains perfect on the season. Irving added a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the final margin.
Both teams now sit at 3-5 in the NFC South. Tampa Bay has won two straight division games, while Atlanta heads to Madrid to face Cincinnati next Sunday.
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