The Tampa Bay Buccaneers exploded all over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in the Superdome, rolling up their NFC South rival 51-27 on the way to setting a new franchise record for total offensive yards in a game.
A big reason for that was the Bucs' ground game. Those aren't words that have been written much over the last several years, as Tampa Bay has sported one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL for the past few years.
But not on Sunday. Instead, it looked like perhaps the most impressive ground game in the league, racking up 277 yards on 35 carries for a robust 7.9 yards per rush.
And the shining star undoubtedly was running back Sean Tucker. The second-year undrafted free agent signee out of Syracuse exploded onto the scene in New Orleans, racking up 136 yards on 14 carries with a score. He also added 3 catches for 56 yards and another score.
So, naturally, that begs the question: can Bucs fans expect to see more of Tucker after this breakout performance? Is there going to be a three-way rotation at the position.
During his Monday press conference, Bowles addressed a question about whether Tucker's performance was worthy of a three-headed monster at running back going forward, and he acknowledged it was.
"It's definitely worthy of him making it a three-headed monster," Bowles said. "He took advantage of his opportunities. He ran away from some tackles, from some linebackers. He ran through a hole, he cut back. He made some great plays. He caught the ball well out of the backfield. So, that gives us a three-headed monster."
Rachaad White appeared to have firm control on the RB1 spot after a productive 2023 season that saw him total 1539 yards from scrimmage. However, the Bucs made a major investment in adding competition and talent back in April when they drafted Bucky Irving out of Oregon in the fourth round.
So far, that addition has been wise, as Irving has been productive through the first six weeks of the season with a team-best 328 rushing yards on 58 carries (5.7 ypc). White, who's dealing with a foot injury that kept him out on Sunday, has 187 yards at a 3.7 yards per carry average.
Tucker, with the best performance by a Tampa Bay running back this season, has thrust himself into a role in this offense. He ran hard, fast, and with great vision on Sunday, and the Bucs simply have to find a way to get him the ball more.
It sounds like that's going to be the plan.
