How Did Baker Mayfield Win Without Completing A Single Pass Against The Atlanta Falcons?

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers shut out the Falcons 16-0 without a single completed pass.© Image via: X/@NFL

Three pass attempts. Zero completions. One shutout. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 at home on Sunday in a game that felt more like 1974 than 2026, and that is not a figure of speech. No NFL team had finished a game without completing a pass since the Buffalo Bills did it that year. Wet, sloppy conditions played a part, and so did quarterback Baker Mayfield's injured right thumb. The result: a franchise-record 324 rushing yards and a win nobody in Tampa needs to apologize for.

Baker Mayfield And The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Beat The Atlanta Falcons 16-0

Baker Mayfield did not sugarcoat anything. He threw three times, completed none, and still sounded like a man who had a productive day at the office. Now in his fourth season with Tampa Bay, he treated the afternoon as a clock-management assignment.

"Obviously, ball security in these conditions. We had some early ones. You know, decided to go to the shotgun and pistol sets. Just easier to receive the snaps instead of it coming back through your hands under center. So, going from there, and just really trying to manage the game and time management, trying to bleed as much clock as possible. Just get everybody on the same page and go from there. So that's my job in these conditions. And listen, I'll do whatever it takes to win. That's all that matters to me," Mayfield said.

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers become the first team since 1974 to win without completing a pass https://t.co/MbFNyOdPPm

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 1, 2026

Shotgun and pistol formations took the snap under center out of the equation. On a slick football, that is one less chance for a costly mistake. Mayfield also ran four times for 14 yards, so he stayed involved, just not through the air. Every minute the Bucs burned was a minute Atlanta could not use, and the Falcons never found the end zone.

Bucky Irving And Kenny Gainwell Do The Heavy Lifting

With the passing game parked, the running backs took over. Bucky Irving carried 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries. That is 52 rushes between two players, and it explains how Tampa Bay moved the ball without help from the air. The touchdown came in the third quarter. Three field goals covered the rest of the scoring.

The wider numbers matter more than one soggy Sunday. Over the past two weeks, the Buccaneers have called 16 pass plays and 104 runs. Mayfield went 7-of-11 in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers, so the arm is not the issue. The thumb and the weather simply tilted the game plan. Two straight wins give the coaching staff little reason to rethink it.

Tampa Bay visits the Chicago Bears in Week 9 on Nov. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Bucs have shown they can win without throwing a single completion. Chicago will have the film to prove it.