Baker Mayfield did not complete a single pass on Sunday — and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0. The Bucs are the first NFL team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to win a game without completing a pass.
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Playing in driving rain for most of the afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, Mayfield went 0-for-3 in his second game back after missing three weeks with a fractured thumb. Behind him, Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell carried the offense: Irving ran 27 times for 170 yards and the game’s only touchdown, while Gainwell added 140 yards — both career highs — as Tampa Bay set a franchise-record 324 rushing yards. Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals to stay perfect on the season at 19-for-19.
Buccaneers Make NFL History Without a Single Pass Completion
The last team to do this was the 1974 Buffalo Bills, who beat the New York Jets 16-12 on September 29, 1974 — with O.J. Simpson rushing for 117 yards in a rain-soaked game of their own. That had been the only time in the Super Bowl era a team failed to complete a pass. Tampa Bay is just the third team in NFL history to win this way, joining those Bills and the 1950 Cleveland Browns.
The Bucs were helped by a miserable afternoon for Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who went 8-for-24 for 125 yards with four interceptions — arguably completing more passes to Bucs players than Mayfield did to his own team. Atlanta scored as many points as Tampa Bay completed passes: zero.
Bucs Climb Back Into the NFC South Race
The win improves Tampa Bay to 3-5, three wins in their last four after an 0-4 start, and pulls them within a half-game of Carolina for first place in the NFC South. Atlanta fell to 3-5 and has lost three of its last four.
It is quite the turnaround for a team that beat Carolina 43-13 last week with Mayfield completing just 7 of 11 passes. In Tampa, the game plan is suddenly simple: hand it off and let the rain do the rest.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
