Buccaneers, without a completed pass, beat Falcons in rainy Tampa
TAMPA, FL — A day that started with aspirations of a momentum-seizing, division-controlling win ended with a loss as ugly as the rain-soaked puddles littered around Raymond James Stadium.
The Falcons (3-5) trudged — literally — through a 16-0 loss to the Buccaneers (3-5) on Sunday afternoon. Every step kicked up water. A referee slipped trying to slow down to mark the yard. Many Falcons players wore big, black rain jackets on the sideline. Those who didn’t use ponchos turned to other attire, such as Gatorade towels, to shield themselves from the rain.
And the game itself certainly wasn’t much prettier.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield never completed a pass. It’s the first time since 1974 a team (the Bills) won without completing a single attempt, and the fourth time in NFL history. The other two came in 1960 and 1950.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. entered halftime with more interceptions (three) than completed passes (two). The final 28 minutes of the first half came and went without a completed pass. Receivers and running backs chose not to wear gloves.
It was a gritty, smash-mouth game in gritty, smash-mouth conditions, and the Buccaneers walked away with more teeth left than the Falcons.
Tampa Bay rushed for 324 yards on 56 carries, winning the battle on the ground as the Falcons tallied 99 yards on 28 attempts. The Buccaneers finished with 322 total yards to Atlanta’s 224, and 16 first downs to the Falcons’ eight.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski often harps on turnover margin. The Falcons lost it, 4-1.
Penix, a Dade City, Florida, native making his first start this close to home soil since high school, went only 8-for-24 passing for 125 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. He entered the day riding high off his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. The Buccaneers — and the skies — rained on his parade.
The Falcons entered Sunday needing a win to take first place in the NFC South as the season nears the halfway point. Instead, they couldn’t stop the run and failed to get anything rolling offensively.
The result? A displeased — and soaked — locker room, with only two days to regroup before heading to Madrid and beginning preparations for a Week 9 bout with the Cincinnati Bengals.