Buccaneers Offense On Pace to Achieve Rare NFL Feat

This would be something for Tampa Bay, but not necessarily a good thing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't dead in the water just yet despite their 3-6 record.

They sit just half a game out of the NFC South lead, but enter the midway point of the season on a bye week, where they could drop further down.

The Bucs have been great defensively and running the ball, but they have struggled to get anything going in the passing game, leading to the offense being one-dimensional.

That one-dimensional offense has them on pace for a rare NFL feat if things are to stay the course.

Bucs on Pace For More Rushing Yards Than Passing Yards

Tampa Bay currently has 1,475 rushing yards to 1,277 passing yards at the midway point of the season. Not a single other NFL team can say the same.

It's an interesting statistic, to say the least, and it drastically shows just how poor the passing game has been for the Bucs in today's modern NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) celebrates with quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last time a team finished a season with more rushing yards than passing yards was when the Chicago Bears did so in 2022, when they ran for 3,014 yards and threw for 2,219. They finished the season 3-14.

Baker Mayfield has not lived up to the contract extension that he made such a big deal about leading up to the season, putting up the worst statistical season of his veteran career.

Mayfield also missed time due to injury, meaning the Bucs had to rely on the ground game more with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels at the helm.

The play-calling by Zac Robinson and the lack of elite weapons on the outside have also been inhibitors of the passing attack.

It would be shocking to see the Bucs outpace their passing yardage with rushing yardage, but that is how things are rolling as of now.

The hope is that things can get figured out when it comes to throwing the ball over the bye week, thus making the offense more balanced. If they are able to do so, then it will be tough for opposing defenses to try to cover every aspect of the offense, leading to more points on the board and more wins.

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