The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Who will have an upper hand when the Buccaneers' offense is on the field? Let's take a deeper dive.
At Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers will host Commanders' standouts defensive tackle Daron Payne, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, outside linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn. Their 20th ranked defense will aim to slow down the NFL's third-best unit. Both Bucs' Head Coach Todd Bowles and Commanders' Head Coach Dan Quinn like to bring the pressure, and this game could come down to which defensive group can win the battle in the trenches. Baker Mayfield may not have the wheels of Jayden Daniels but is effective at buying time, evading sacks and keeping his eyes downfield to connect with weapons. He had 68 rushing yards against the Saints in Week 18 and his mobility and fearlessness on scrambles kept drives alive for Tampa Bay and helped secure the victory. He sparked the turnaround with his legs on third down, energizing the offense along with Bucky Irving.
The Bucs finished the 2024 season as the NFL's only team to rank top five in total yards per game (399.6 - fourth), rushing yards per game (149.2- fourth), passing yards per game (250.4 - third) and points scored per game (29.5 - fourth). Additionally, the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to complete 70%-or-more of their passes and average over 5.0 yards per rush attempt in the same season. Tampa Bay's 5.3 rushing yards per attempt in 2024 set a new franchise record, as did its 2,536 total rushing yards. The Bucs rushed for 100-plus yards in 14-of-17 (82.4%) games this season after doing so in 9-of-34 (26.5%) games over the previous two seasons. At the helm, Baker Mayfield produced the best year of his career in 2024. He concluded the season establishing new career highs in completions (407), completion percentage (71.4%), passing yards (4,500), net yards per pass attempt (7.9), passing touchdowns (41) and passer rating (106.8). He established new Buccaneers single-season franchise records in completion percentage and passer rating.
Rookie running back Bucky Irving reinvigorated the Bucs' ground attack in 2024. Tampa Bay went from having the worst-ranked rush offense the previous two seasons to being in the top-three in 2024. With effective lateral jump-cuts, rare contact balance and outstanding short-area quickness, Irving found lanes during the course of the season that would not exist to most. Irving's lateral movement cannot be taught, and his forced missed tackle percentage led the NFL in 2024. The Oregon product finished the season with 207 carries for 1,122 yards (5.4 avg.) and eight rushing touchdowns. He also posted 47 receptions for 392 yards to give him a total of 1,514 yards from scrimmage this season. In reaching 1,500 yards from scrimmage, Irving surpassed Warrick Dunn (1,440 in 1997) for the second-most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in team history, trailing only Doug Martin (1,926 in 2012).
Irving's 5.4 yards per carry was the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with at least 200 rushing attempts in a season, trailing only Adrian Peterson (5.6 in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 in 2002). His 5.4 yards per carry established a new Bucs' single-season record for any qualified rusher. Irving excelled in the Bucs' gap-heavy system, where offensive linemen down block and pullers guide. The goal in gap runs is to create a numbers advantage and double teams (two players essentially having to double gap as a result of pullers to the playside) at the point of attack. As a result, a hole is created by the puller on the kickout and Irving has the patience to let the lane develop and the ability to maximize the block. With a small frame and agile feet, Irving can bounce off defenders and navigate through congestion with ease, squeezing the crease to reach daylight.
Conversely, the Commanders' defense ranks 30th in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 137.5 yards on the ground per game. Washington has allowed the second-highest explosive run rate in the NFL (13.5%) to running backs and they have given up an average of 2.0 yards before contact per run – getting beat off the line in the trenches. On Sunday, the Bucs will strive to take advantage on the ground with Irving's prowess. As the Commanders' defense allocates resources to limiting the ground attack, advantageous matchups will open for Mike Evans and company to exploit.
