The Buccaneers run game has undergone an evolution in 2024 with the men in the trenches attributing to its ascension. With more gap and trap plays this season under the leadership of Liam Coen, the athleticism and second-level blocks by the offensive line/ tight ends have attributed to the team's resurgence on the ground.
The Bucs have rushed for 100-plus yards in 10-of-13(76.9%) games this season after doing so in just 9-of-34 (26.5%) games over the previous two seasons. Tampa Bay currently ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per rush (5.1) after finishing 32nd in that category in each of the previous two seasons. Tampa Bay's 5.1 rushing yards per attempt this season is the team's highest average through 13 games in team annals. The Bucs trail only the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles in most combined scrimmage yards from running backs in 2024 with 2,206.
Rookie Bucky Irving ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per touch (6.1) among players with 125-plus touches this season, trailing only a trio of Pro Bowl running backs. Irving and Rachaad White are the only running back tandem in the NFL in which both players have three-or-more games with 100-plus yards from scrimmage, and 1-of-2 duos with 800-plus total yards from scrimmage each on the season.
"It is getting swept under the rug week-after-week," noted left tackle Tristan Wirfs on the rise of the ground attack. "That has been really fun for us as an offensive line. That is the standard now. I think it is just all five guys seeing things with the same set of eyes. We are all on the same page and we are all buying in. The more time you spend with each other the more comfortable you get. We have not had a lot of shuffling. I feel like in the past, we had some shuffling and new guys in new positions. Now, we are all there growing together, and we are a unit. We do our best to go out there and pound the rock on Sunday."
Against the Raiders, White accumulated two touchdowns and eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards, totaling a season-high 90 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on a season-high 17 carries (5.3 average) while adding two receptions for 19 yards and one score. It marked White's third career multi-touchdown game, but the first in which he posted a score on the ground and in the air. White joined San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey as the only players to have 10-plus rushing touchdowns and 10-plus receiving touchdowns since the start of the 2022 season. Irving was limited in the game with a back injury but White carried the load and had additional gap-scheme runs against Las Vegas and he took advantage.
"He was hitting everything downhill which was really good to see," stated Wirfs on White's production. "I think we have three really good backs with Rachaad, Buck \[Bucky Irving\] and Tuck \[Sean Tucker\]. If one guy unfortunately goes down, we know we have another one that is going to step up and come in and be awesome. They were both flying around yesterday."
Tucker averaged 15.7 per tote against the Raiders and accelerated for a 34-yard run in the fourth quarter, with Wirfs paving the way on a pull, kicking out to seal off the edge, creating a lane down the right sideline.