Rain fell on Raymond James Stadium from just before kickoff until well into the afternoon on Sunday, and Tampa Bay decided early that the football was safest in Bucky Irving's hands.
Irving carried 27 times for 170 yards, both career highs, and scored the only touchdown of the day as the Buccaneers shut out the Atlanta Falcons 16-0. Baker Mayfield threw three passes and completed none of them. According to The Associated Press, no team had gone a full game without a completion since the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets on Sept. 29, 1974.
A hundred yards by halftime
Irving set the tone on Tampa Bay's first snap, bouncing off a tackler and running 24 yards into Atlanta territory to set up the first of Chase McLaughlin's three field goals. He went past 100 yards before the break, finishing the half with 107, according to the team's count.
The one blemish came in the first quarter. After Alex Anzalone's first interception, Mayfield bobbled a snap, escaped pressure and pitched the ball back to Irving, who raced toward the end zone before Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III knocked it loose at the 1.
The ball bounced through the end zone and went to Atlanta as a touchback, and the Bucs settled for field goals the rest of the half to lead 9-0.
Irving finally got his touchdown late in the third quarter. He broke a 46-yard run over left tackle, Kenny Gainwell followed with a 28-yarder to the 6, and two plays later Irving pushed in from 4 yards out.
A record day on the ground
Gainwell handled most of the fourth-quarter work while Tampa Bay drained the clock, and he finished with 140 yards. The Bucs rushed for 324 yards, breaking the franchise record of 283 set at Philadelphia in 2015.
Irving and Gainwell became the second Tampa Bay pair to each top 100 rushing yards in one game, joining Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, who did it against Minnesota on Nov. 1, 1998. The team, citing Elias Sports Bureau, said no club had ever had two backs each reach 25 carries and 125 yards in a game.
