The Buccaneers surpassed the 40-point threshold and eclipsed 500 net yards of offense against the Panthers in Week 17 en route to a 48-14 victory. Rookies Bucky Irving and Jalen McMillan made a little history of their own in the thrilling division matchup. Heading into the clash with the Panthers, Tampa Bay's rookies combined for the most scrimmage touchdowns (12) and second-most scrimmage yards (1,604) of any 2024 class.
Bucky Irving eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing marker with a 113 output on the ground, including a 34-yarder. Irving became the first Tampa Bay player to reach 1,000 yards rushing since Doug Martin accomplished the feat in 2015. He added 77 receiving yards on four targets, including a 42-yard gain off a screen. Over the previous five seasons, only five rookies across the league have reached 1,000 yards rushing: Tyler Allgeier, Kenneth Walker, Najee Harris, James Robinson and Johnathan Taylor.
Jalen McMillan nabbed two touchdowns and 51 receiving yards on five receptions. His four straight games with a touchdown grab is tied for the fourth-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history.
"Bright future," said Head Coach Todd Bowles on the rookie class. "Most of them contributed, they all played meaningful minutes, especially the first four or five picks in the draft. They pretty much played the same reps as everybody else. We've just to keep them healthy, keep them moving forward and compare them to last year's [class] and keep building."
In the second quarter from second-and-six, Irving exploded on a 34-yard rush off of a counter play. Both Tristan Wirfs and Graham Barton pulled on the play and Irving got upfield, following the path paved by Wirfs at the second level. On the ensuing play from first-and-10, Irving put on a show once again as Buck-Y chants rang out in Raymond James Stadium. Baker Mayfield faked a play-action pass and then passed the ball to Irving on a screen. He saw daylight and quickly squeezed through the hole and accelerated, setting the Bucs up at the one-yard line.
"I will always give credit to those guys [offensive line]," said Irving. "They do a fantastic job going out there and executing and creating the holes for me. I just do my job and trust my track and good things happen … We had a counter play and we had two pullers [34-yard gain]. I had to trust the pullers and read it all out and then my instincts kicked in. On the second one [42-yard catch and run], we had a slow screen and we had to be able to sell the action and then avoid if it was a blitz and I had to get out in space and do what I do."
McMillan's first touchdown came late in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from Mayfield and the second came in the fourth frame on a 16-yard scoring dart from No.6. In the second quarter, McMillan faked like he was going to go outside and once the defensive back took the bait, McMillan broke inside with leverage for a wide-open shot to the end zone. Late in the game on the second score, McMillan motioned inside to the slot and ran a shallow crossing route. As he crossed in front of Mayfield, the signal-caller hit him right in the chest and McMillan turned and waltzed his way into the end zone with no defenders inhibiting his path. Both spurred the Bucs' offensive onslaught against the Panthers and played a vital role in the team's Week 17 success.
