Running back Bucky Irving has inserted himself into the debate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, exploding over the last two weeks for 337 yards and two touchdowns in a pair of critical wins for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's a product of the Buccaneers' play-calling beginning to tilt more in his direction, but also of an ability that Head Coach Todd Bowles says doesn't come naturally to every running back.
The Buccaneers ran for 236 yards in their 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the explosive results of the ground game in the fourth quarter and overtime were the difference. Irving's 43-yard breakaway in the fourth quarter set up a Chase McLaughlin field goal to put the Bucs up 26-20, and Rachaad White's 38-yard dash in overtime put McLaughlin in range for the game winner. Irving had 25 carries; neither he nor White had carried the ball more than 15 times in any other game this season.
"He's getting more comfortable with the offense," said Bowles. "The more comfortable he gets, the more you can give him, the more he can do. Both [Irving and White] are running well – we're happy with both of them. Bucky has a skill you can't teach – he can make people miss in the hole. He's tough on the inside. Rachaad had a big run at the end of the game, as well. Using them both together seems to be working out for us."
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Irving has forced missed tackles at a 59.7% clip so far this season. That not only ranks first in the league but is the highest rate tracked by NGS since it fired up in 2016. He is unusually adept at making the first guy miss or shedding the initial tackle, which has frequently turned what could have been one-yard losses into three-yard gains. More importantly, when he has been given a lane into which to get a head start, that initial missed tackle has often led to big plays. That has happened frequently enough that Irving is keen to make sure that the Bucs' offensive line is given a lot of credit.
"I don't really like taking all the credit," he said. "It's those guys up front. I think I have to do something really nice for those guys for Christmas, because they're getting the job done. I really don't want to take all the credit. Like I said, we have to get more of those guys in here and give them the credit for getting the job done up front."
White leads all NFL rookies with 1,017 yards from scrimmage, 185 of which came against the Panthers. He leads the team with 732 rushing yards and is on pace for 1,037, which would make him just the fifth back in team history to hit quadruple digits as a rookie. That could happen if he continues to get the lion's share of the touches going forward – he had 28 to 12 for White against the Panthers – but the Buccaneers have consistently espoused the hot-hand approach to distributing carries and White has also had a lot of success. Either way, Irving will be happy if the team's results continue to be good.
"In our room, all our success is one," said Irving. "If I'm having success, everybody in the room is having success. Seeing your brother going out there, knowing he has your back, knowing that I couldn't be out there at the time, I have faith in Rachaad. Rachaad is a great guy. Rachaad is a guy that can make explosive plays and we all in the room are capable of doing that."
