Bucky Irving 43-yard Rush
From second-and-six in the fourth quarter against the Panthers, Bucky Irving exploded for a 43-yard rush. On the criss-cross wham concept, Payne Durham delivered a block on the inside to create a lane, as did Cody Mauch. On a wham run concept, a tight end or fullback pulls and kicks out a defensive lineman instead of a guard. In addition, Cade Otton went in motion and sealed off the edge, keeping Jadeveon Clowney at bay. Irving quickly accelerated north through the hole and utilized his twitchy feet and change-of-direction skills to maximize the yards gained. That play, and Irving's performance, helped ignite the Bucs' robust ground output against Carolina.
"That was a wham influence – a wham play that we had designed," stated Coen. "We had run wham variations over the course of the year, but that one was specific for their base defensive structure where we had the tight ends kind of going cross-key a little bit there, which confused a little bit their linebackers in some ways. Bucky was able to get to the post safety and stiff arm him I believe…That was really well designed from our staff from the guys and just very well executed. I think Cody Mauch did a phenomenal job on that play…Just the guys straining – they were playing so hard. That was something that makes you smile."
Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby currently leads the Raiders in sacks with 7.5 and has the most tackles for loss in the NFL since 2019. He has played every defensive snap in six consecutive games for Las Vegas (387), with stout conditioning. Crosby gives 100% on every snap and has amassed 19 quarterback hits in 2024. His high-effort and relentless nature in the trenches set him apart. Crosby can take over a game and every offensive coordinator has to gameplan for him. He utilizes his length to generate separation and has the ability to take over a game. On Sunday, the Bucs' offensive line will face one of the most dominant edge rushers in the league in Mad Maxx.
"He doesn't stop," noted Coen. "He doesn't stop ever. Our goal this week is, how do we play longer and harder than him? Because he's going to go every single play through the echo of the whistle. He's got a ton of respect. I've got a ton of respect for him as a player. Baker [Mayfield] had him in 2022 in the first game he ever played [with the Rams] in that game [and] he led a two-minute drive to go win it. We've got to have a plan for him in both the run and the pass, and also be able to – from a play-calling standpoint – make sure that we're not letting him influence and affect the game in a negative way."
Miracle on TNF
In 2022 via Thursday Night Football, Baker Mayfield led a miracle comeback against the Raiders. Mayfield was released by the Panthers on Monday and was claimed by the Rams on Tuesday. With two days to prepare and a cross-country flight, Mayfield spearheaded two fourth-quarter drives, culminating in a 23-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left. That 98-yard march down the field was the longest go-ahead touchdown drive in the final two minutes of a game over the past 45 NFL seasons. In that matchup, Mayfield completed 22 of 35 attempts for 230 yards, defying the odds in the process to give the Rams a stunning 17-16 win. From the two-yard line with zero timeouts and under two minutes in regulation, Mayfield accomplished the improbable. Liam Coen, the former Offensive Coordinator for the Rams in 2022, reminisced on the late night leading up to the miracle on the gridiron.
"I just remember a cram session happening at about 12:30 [a.m.] when he walked in the building at about 10:00 p.m. that night," said Coen. "We went at it pretty good until about 1:00 a.m. He went home to the hotel, got a little rest, and we were back at it again at 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. that next morning and we did that until the game. I just remember sitting in Sean [McVay's] office before the game and we said, 'Hey, look, he's going to play at some point in this game, let's just leave this game with some positives that we can work forward to for the end of the season.' I remember Sean vividly saying, 'If we win this game, it's going to be a miracle.' That did occur. It was really cool."
