Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off a bizarre and historic victory on Sunday, securing a 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons despite completing a grand total of zero passes out of three attempts. It marked the first NFL game with zero passing offense since the Buffalo Bills defeated the New York Jets 16-12 on September 29, 1974. I don’t think I’m being cheeky when I say that passing is the most exciting part of football. Teams usually lose and fans get bored, when a QB is bad. First off, congratulations on being over 120 years of age, if you are miraculously old enough to remember the NFL before the advent of the forward pass in 1906. Please email me your full diet and exercise regimen. Cheering a bit of hard-nosed, classic football, you’re probably on your feet (if standing is still something physically possible). The rest of us young whippersnappers still grinding through our first century are holding our noses. They more than made up for Mayfield’s borderline irrelevance in the pocket. But otherwise, I probably could have started at QB for the Buccaneers and the game would have been the same, other than the high likelihood of me suffering at least one gruesome injury, mayfield made himself useful blocking for his runners. Or kicker Chase McLaughlin’s three field goals, but even a wet playing surface wasn’t enough to stop Tampa’s run game. Next week, the Falcons face the Bengals in Spain. When they made the Super Bowl, and the Bengals are off to their best start since the 2021 season. They’ll be the worst American export to Europe since David Hasselhoff’s first album, if Atlanta play like this in Madrid. But Burrow gets MVP this week for a refusal to do anything dull.
While Mayfield has thrown for 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards as recently as 2024, pouring rain forced a ground-heavy strategy. The rushing attack carried the day, with Bucky Irving racking up 170 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Kenneth Gainwell added 140 yards. Together with Mayfield, the trio rushed 56 times for 324 yards, setting a new single-game franchise record for the Bucs. Let alone 16 points, is a credit to Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell running as though their lives depended on it, that the Bucs could score at all.
Reflecting on his unusual outing, Mayfield remarked after the game that if he was not going to throw the ball, he had to get active somehow. Meanwhile, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr struggled in the conditions, finishing 8-for-24 with four interceptions. And a big run can thrill you, but this is a quarterback-centric game, a solid hit is nice. Of course, Mayfield – a former No 1 overall pick – can throw.
Across the league, Sunday’s slate featured dramatic finishes and milestones. In Cincinnati, Joe Burrow threw for five touchdowns, ran for another, and totaled 462 passing yards to lead the Bengals back from a 13-point deficit for a 43-36 overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans, despite throwing three interceptions.
The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly missed a late comeback against the Denver Broncos, falling 28-24 after being stopped on a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line with 35 seconds remaining. In Buffalo, Josh Allen recorded his 259th career touchdown pass during a win against the Baltimore Ravens, breaking the franchise record previously held by Jim Kelly and lifting the Bills to a 6-1 record. A Chiefs win is automatic, when Patrick Mahomes is under center in this type of situation. He broke the record set by Buffalo legend Jim Kelly, in reaching that milestone.
The Minnesota Vikings lost their undefeated status, falling 19-15 to the Detroit Lions after Jared Goff connected with Jameson Williams for a late score with 4:35 remaining. The victory came at a cost for Detroit, as linebacker Jack Campbell suffered a neck injury and had to be carted off the field. The field was wet and as slippery as a greased-up ferret with a sugar rush.
At AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys squandered a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead against the Arizona Cardinals, who surged ahead by scoring 20 unanswered points in the final period. In the Battle of Los Angeles, the Rams defeated the Chargers 24-9, dropping the Chargers to an 0-7 record as the only NFL team yet to surpass 100 points this season. They led 24-10 and their defense was looking well-prepared to lock down a win. As Gardner Minshew took over from an underperforming Jacoby Brissett, arizona exploded for 20 points in the fourth.
The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Indianapolis Colts 42-7 to claim the top spot in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence delivered a stellar performance, posting a 153.3 rating with 210 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-14 passing.
The Las Vegas Raiders engineered a stunning second-half comeback, scoring 24 points after halftime to overcome the New York Jets 38-33 and snap a four-game losing skid to reach 4-4. Kirk Cousins led the charge with 247 yards on 19-of-26 passing, three touchdowns, and a third-quarter rushing touchdown. Cousins celebrated the score with a peculiar dance he dubbed his wellness celebration, shouting out the team’s training staff for their injury prevention work.
