‘Only the third team to every do it’: Buccaneers win game without completing a single pass

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons played through some heavy rain in Tampa on Sunday, and the conditions turned the NFC South matchup into one of the strangest games in recent NFL history.

The Buccaneers were able to win the game by a final score of 16-0 on Sunday, but in a wild twist, Tampa Bay did not complete a singe pass in the game, sparking a lot of attention from the NFL world.

Baker Mayfield played his second game after returning from a fractured thumb, but it’s safe to say that the game did not go the way he would have hoped, as he went 0-for-3 through the air and handed the ball off 52 times as Tampa Bay leaned entirely on its running game.

Bucky Irving ran for 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries. The Buccaneers finished with 324 rushing yards, a franchise record, and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals.

As it turns out, abandoning the passing game altogether seemed to be the best move as Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. struggled mightily, going 8-of-24 for 125 yards with four interceptions.

The last team to win without a completion was the Buffalo Bills, who beat the New York Jets 16-12 on Sept. 29, 1974. Until Sunday, that was the only time it had happened in the Super Bowl era.

Mayfield didn’t seem to mind his unusual stat line, and he even threw a downfield block on Jessie Bates III during a Gainwell run in the fourth quarter.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Mayfield said, via the Associated Press. “That’s all that matters to me.”

“If I’m not gonna throw the ball, I have to get active somehow,” he added. “Me and Jessie were out there playing in mud.”

The win improved Tampa Bay to 3-5, with three wins in its last four games after an 0-4 start.

Plenty of prominent NFL voices were stunned by the result.

From the source “This is incredible. The #Bucs won this game without completing a pass. First time since 1974 a team has done that,” wrote Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

“Buccaneers beat Atlanta 16-0 without completing a pass. They are the first NFL team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to win a game without completing a pass,” wrote ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“The Buccaneers became the first team since the 1974 Bills to finish a game with zero completions and zero passing yards. Tampa Bay won 16-0 today,” wrote ESPN’s Field Yates.

“The Buccaneers did it. They have won the game with zero completions. 16-0. Per ESPN Research, they’re only the third team to every do it — and the first since 1974,” wrote Benjamin Solak of The Ringer.

Others pointed out that Penix’s day was arguably even worse than Mayfield’s.

“Halftime! Penix completions to Bucs: 3 Penix completions to Falcons: 2 Mayfield completions to anyone: 0,” wrote ESPN’s Mike Clay.

“Baker Mayfield didn’t complete a pass today, and had a higher passer rating (39.6) than Michael Penix (12),” wrote sportscaster Lindsay Rhodes.

“Baker Mayfield vs Falcons 0 Completions 0 Pass Yards 0 TD 0 INT 1 WIN,” wrote PFF.

Clearly, it’s a stat line that Mayfield won’t be bragging about, but the Bucs will certainly take the win.