The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium without completing a single pass, only the second time that has happened in an NFL game since the Super Bowl era began.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted three passes and completed none of them, as heavy rain and wind turned the field into mud and made throwing the ball nearly impossible. Instead, the Bucs leaned entirely on the ground game, setting a new team rushing record with 324 yards.
Running backs Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell did most of the damage. Irving carried for 170 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, while Gainwell added 140 yards on 5.6 yards per attempt.
Coach Todd Bowles said the decision to abandon the pass was dictated by the weather rather than a plan drawn up beforehand.
“The conditions told him that,” Bowles said. “I mean, you could see it as a downpour down there and the wind’s blowing. You can kind of see the ball wasn’t going anywhere.”
Mayfield opened his postgame press conference by acknowledging the unusual circumstances of the day.
“All right, let’s get this over with because you don’t want to talk to me,” Mayfield told reporters.
He was later asked about his work as a lead blocker on one running play, given he wasn’t throwing the ball.
“You know, if you’re not going to throw the ball, I got to get active somehow,” Mayfield said.
The last time an NFL team failed to complete a single pass in a game was Sept. 29, 1974, when the Buffalo Bills did it with quarterback Joe Ferguson attempting two passes without a completion. O.J. Simpson ran for 117 yards for Buffalo in that game.
Irving said he didn’t pay much attention to the forecast heading into Sunday’s game.
“I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know the last time I checked the weather for a football game,” he said. “We’re going to have to play in it anyway. That’s how I think about it. Rain, snow, muddy, you’re going to have to play in it anyway.”
Atlanta tried a different approach in the same conditions. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed just 8 of 24 passes and threw four interceptions.
The win gives Tampa Bay renewed life in the NFC South standings.
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