5 Takeaways From Buccaneers’ Throwback Win Over Atlanta Falcons

On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved you can win a game in the NFL without having much of a passing attack.

Or, in the Bucs' case, without having any passing attack at all.

Tampa turned back the clock against the Atlanta Falcons and accomplished something that hasn't happened in the NFL in over 50 years .

The Bucs became the first team to win an NFL game without completing a pass since the Buffalo Bills did it against the New York Jets in 1974.

Who was the Jets' quarterback in that game?

It was a throwback win like we haven't seen in a long time. It was also a crucial win for the Bucs, who are now only a half-game out of first place in the NFC South.

Here are my five biggest takeaways from the Buccaneers' win over the Falcons:

1. The Bucs have a special running back duo: When Tampa signed Kenny Gainwell as a free agent this offseason, it was thought that he and Bucky Irving would be one of the most electric RB duos in the NFL.

However, Gainwell barely got any touches in the first six weeks. In Tampa's first six games, Gainwell was given only 19 total carries, which he turned into 61 rushing yards.

Over the last two games, both Tampa wins, Gainwell has a total of 39 carries for 228 yards, including a career-high 140 against Atlanta.

Irving has been a star all season and led the Bucs with 170 rushing yards on 27 carries against Atlanta. He also scored the Bucs' lone touchdown. Irving now has 51 rushes for 276 yards and three TDs over the last two games.

That is over 500 combined rushing yards for Irving and Gainwell in only two weeks.

If that's not a special RB tandem, I don't know what is.

2. The defense is outstanding: Tampa's defense has been a strength of the team all season. However, it was easy to overlook just how well the defense was playing because the team was 1-5.

The Bucs' defense has proven it can step up in different ways. The run defense is second-best in the NFL. In Weeks 6 and 7, Tampa notched five sacks in each game after only getting a total of six in the first five games.

While the Bucs recorded zero sacks against the Falcons, the defense intercepted Michael Penix Jr. four times on Sunday.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone had two of them. Starting cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish, who have been great all season, each recorded one.

3. Bucs are NFC South favorites once again : The Bucs were overwhelming favorites to win their division before the season began but got off to an abysmal 1-5 start.

However, the division is again the weakest in the NFL, which kept the door open for Tampa to get back into the race. After consecutive wins over the Panthers and Falcons, the Bucs are only a half-game out of first place and should be considered the favorites to win the division.

4. Todd Bowles deserves credit : Bowles looked like a dead man walking over the first few weeks of the season. It seemed like only a matter of time before he would be replaced.

However, he deserves a lot of credit for getting his defense to once again be one of the NFL's best and for keeping the team focused and together despite all the team's issues.

5. Need more from Baker Mayfield: The running game has been excellent, and being the first team to win a game without completing a pass in 52 years is a cool accomplishment, but Tampa didn't give Mayfield $55 million per year to just hand the ball off.

Even though the Bucs didn't need him on Sunday, they will need much more from Mayfield than they have gotten from him all season.

It's safe to assume Tampa will need some semblance of a passing game next week when they go on the road to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.