The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have found their most important offensive advantage at exactly the right time. With Baker Mayfield still working through a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, Tampa Bay needs to avoid rushing its quarterback back before he's ready. Fortunately, the Buccaneers are developing a rushing attack that can carry the offense in his absence, and Sunday's performance against Atlanta showed how much that could change the outlook for the next few weeks. Tampa Bay rushed for a franchise-record 324 yards in its 16-0 shutout of the Falcons. Bucky Irving led the way with 170 yards and a touchdown, while Kenneth Gainwell added a career-high 140 yards. The Buccaneers didn't complete a single pass, yet they controlled the game
offensively and never needed Mayfield to take over.
Mayfield has already missed time after dislocating his right thumb against Minnesota. Although the initial expectation was a minimum three-week absence, his recovery remains an important consideration for a team that needs its starting quarterback healthy for the stretch run. With the running game producing at this level, Tampa Bay has had an opportunity to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on his recovery. The timing is particularly interesting with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions coming up on the schedule. Neither opponent is an easy matchup, and both present different challenges for Tampa Bay's offense. Chicago has the personnel to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks, while Detroit has a defensive front that will challenge an offensive line physically. Having a productive rushing attack against those teams could make a significant difference. It gives Tampa Bay a way to control possession, keep opposing offenses off the field, and take some pressure off Baker as his thumb isn't 100% yet.
Another benefit is giving Mayfield more recovery time. A thumb injury on a quarterback's throwing hand affects more than just his ability to get the football downfield. Grip strength, ball security, and throwing mechanics all matter. Returning before those things are right could leave Mayfield struggling to execute an offense that already needs more consistency through the air. The Buccaneers have seen what happens when their rushing attack works. The offensive line has made considerable strides since the Dallas Cowboys game, Irving looks like one of the league's best young running backs, and Gainwell has shown he can handle a substantial workload. If Irving, Gainwell, and the offensive line keep producing at this level, Tampa Bay has a legitimate alternative to having Mayfield push his injured thumb to the limit.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs run game has bought Mayfield two more weeks of healing
