Buccaneers Dominate Falcons Without a Single Completion

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on Sunday, Nov. 1, without completing a single pass, turning a driving rainstorm into a ground game the Falcons couldn't stop. Tampa Bay ran 56 times for a franchise-record 324 yards. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed none of his three attempts; the running backs carried the plan, and the scoreboard followed.

Mayfield said he'd do whatever it took to win. “If I'm not gonna throw the ball, I have to get active somehow,” he said, after scrambling for 13 yards and blocking downfield on a 28-yard Kenny Gainwell run. Mayfield ended up in a puddle after blocking Jessie Bates III. “Me and Jessie were out there playing in mud.”

Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. offered a different account of the conditions and his responsibility. He completed 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards, threw four interceptions and fumbled once. “As the quarterback, the leader, I've got to protect the ball,” Penix said. “That's the only way we're going to be able to win these games, and I did a poor job of that today.”

When the Weather Set the Terms

Nearly an inch of rain fell over Tampa by kickoff, and standing water covered parts of the field. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said the weather shaped the team's plan. “We didn't say you're not going to throw the ball; the conditions told him that,” Bowles said. “You could see it's a downpour down there and the wind's blowing. You can kind of see the ball's not going anywhere.”

Tampa Bay responded by handing the ball to Bucky Irving 27 times and Gainwell 25. Irving gained 170 yards and scored on a four-yard run in the third quarter, putting the Buccaneers ahead 16-0. Gainwell added 140 yards. Tampa Bay averaged 5.8 yards per rush; Irving averaged 6.3 yards per carry and Gainwell 5.6.

Chase McLaughlin made field goals from 46, 34 and 42 yards, remaining perfect this season at 19 for 19. Tampa Bay's previous team rushing record was 283 yards, including 235 by Doug Martin, in a 45-17 win at Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 2015.

Bowles said he hadn't drawn up a game plan with zero completions before. “I have not, but there's a first time for everything,” he said. The team had anticipated a nasty day and focused on ball security, he added, though Tampa Bay lost a fumble in the end zone. Irving fumbled out of the end zone for a touchback after taking a lateral from Mayfield; Bates forced the fumble.

Atlanta's Errors, Tampa Bay's Opening

Penix threw three interceptions in the first half, when the quarterbacks combined for four fumbles. He completed two passes to Falcons players and three to Tampa Bay. Alex Anzalone intercepted Penix twice, and Jacob Parrish intercepted him on a fourth-down pass. Tampa Bay's defense caught four of Penix's passes in total, making it the first defense to intercept him four times this season.

Anzalone's first interception came at Atlanta's 41-yard line, and he returned it eight yards. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Drake London moved the ball to the 18, but Irving's fumble ended that opportunity. Anzalone intercepted Penix again on Atlanta's next possession, setting Tampa Bay up at the Falcons' 19; the Buccaneers settled for McLaughlin's 34-yard kick. After Parrish's interception at Tampa Bay's 17, the Buccaneers drove 65 yards for another field goal and a 9-0 lead.

The result was the first NFL win without a completed pass since the Buffalo Bills did it in 1974, 52 years elapsed. It was also the first double-digit win without a completion since the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Chicago Cardinals 23-0 on Nov. 11, 1945, according to NFL research.

Tampa Bay earned its first home win of the season after an 0-4 start. The Buccaneers, 3-5, had won three of four games since then and sat a half-game behind Carolina, 3-4, in the NFC South. Atlanta and Tampa Bay were tied for second in the division, while New Orleans was last at 2-5 after a bye.

Penix said the performance “kind of sucked,” and that the Falcons had to shake it. Mayfield's closing assessment was simpler: “It's a win so. I'll take it, man.”