The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have suddenly turned their season around.
After starting the season 0-4 and 1-5 with Baker Mayfield sidelined by injury, it seemed the Buccaneers' season was over. They sat at the bottom of the NFC South, and there seemed to be little hope the team could contend for a playoff spot, with Todd Bowles' firing appearing to be a foregone conclusion.
However, the Buccaneers have been a completely different team since Mayfield's return -- and he hasn't been the reason for the turnaround. Tampa Bay has featured the league's best ground attack, highlighted by a franchise-record 324 rushing-yard effort in the 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Meanwhile, they also picked off four passes from Michael Penix Jr. and lead the NFL in defensive
EPA.
They did so with zero pass completions from Mayfield, becoming the first NFL team since 1974 to win a game that way.
"It starts in practice," said Bowles of how the Buccaneers have turned their season around. "It's been like that, and now it feels like everybody's on board and they're on the same page. It's more or less the the effort's been there, but being on the same page is important. And everybody's seeing why we lose, why we make this mistake, why we do something good, how we do it, what's our formula. It looks like everybody's buying in there and seeing it and repeating it daily on a daily basis, and it's kind of turning around for us a little bit right now."
The Buccaneers are only 3-5, but they're suddenly in the driver's seat to win the NFC South for the fifth time in the past six seasons. They already beat the Falcons and Carolina Panthers and are only a half-game behind the Panthers for the division lead.
Tampa Bay needs to get more going in the passing game as Mayfield continues to find his groove after returning from injury. They'll face a huge litmus test against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, and they'll need Mayfield to show more of his Pro Bowl quarterback form if they hope to knock out one of the NFC's top teams.
But it's clear the Buccaneers have found a formula for success that could see them return to the postseason because of it -- dominate the trenches and the ground game and win with stout defensive play.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles on key to Buccaneers turning their season around after dominant win over Falcons
