Bucky Irving gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers something to build around in Dallas, and the run game was a big reason why the Bucs finally found a winning formula. Can he do it again against Pittsburgh on Sunday? He can be productive, but another 165-yard day is a lot to ask.
The Steelers held Jonathan Taylor to just 45 yards on 15 carries, and their front was built to stop exactly what Tampa Bay wanted to do. If Irving reaches 80 or 90 yards and keeps the offense on schedule for Jalon Daniels, that’s a win for the Bucs. Here are five questions fans heading to Raymond James Stadium are asking this week.
Can Bucky Irving do it again against the Steelers?
Maybe not to the tune of 165 yards. Irving rushed 21 times for a career-high 72-yard run and a touchdown in Dallas, and he forced 10 missed tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s up for 406 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 77 carries this season.
Pittsburgh is a different animal. The Steelers allow 103.4 rushing yards per game, 13th in the NFL, and they gave up just 66 rushing yards as a team in Indianapolis last week. Taylor averaged 3.0 yards a carry and was bottled up all afternoon by a front led by Cameron Heyward, TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Todd Bowles knows what Irving’s reason is. “Bucky is determined to win. He’s determined to play well. He’s determined to carry everything on his back,” Bowles said at Wednesday’s press conference. The Bucs’ line should also hold up, as Bowles said it was “a challenge for us, fundamentally and technically, to stay on our blocks.”
Does Jalon Daniels start against the Steelers?
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
That’s the plan. Baker Mayfield (thumb) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, and Bowles wouldn’t put a timetable on his return until after he throws. “If he’s not 100%, he doesn’t have to play,” Bowles said. We think the Bucs were right to slow down Mayfield’s return, and Monday’s look at Mayfield’s timeline pointed to Carolina as a more realistic target.
Daniels was solid in Dallas, completing 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown without an interception. “He’s played two games. Not that many in this lifetime, but he’s handled himself well, and he doesn’t look like a rookie when he’s out there,” Bowles said Wednesday.
Sunday was a bigger test. Watt and Highsmith combined for 7.5 sacks, and the Bucs gave up 16 sacks in their first four games before allowing just one in Dallas. Daniels jumped two spots in the QB rankings after the win, but Pittsburgh’s pass rush was the toughest he’s seen.
Can the Bucs stop Aaron Rodgers and Jaylen Warren?
It won’t be easy. Aaron Rodgers has 1,234 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and four interceptions, and he has thrown three touchdown passes in three straight games. “It’s a nightmare game-planning against him. He’s tough because he’s so smart. His football IQ is incredible,” Bowles told reporters.
Maybe Warren is the bigger problem. He ran for 410 yards on 70 carries and caught 19 passes for 230 yards, and he torched the Colts with an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 50-yard touchdown run. “He’s a very good pass defender. He’s an outstanding runner, and he can catch the ball very well, and he makes you miss,” Bowles said.
The good news is that Rodgers is short on targets. Michael Pittman Jr. is on injured reserve, and Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are out, leaving the Steelers scrambling at receiver. The bad news is that Antoine Winfield Jr. (ribs) missed practice again, and Tykee Smith is “the only experience back there right now,” Bowles said.
Is Todd Bowles’ job on the line?
It’s still in the game. Greg Auman of FOX Sports wrote that the Dallas win eased the immediate pressure on Bowles, who enters Week 5 on the league’s hottest seat, but a playoff loss could still cost him his job. Auman also noted that the Glazers have never fired a coach in the middle of a season.
Bowles was asked this week about the scrutiny coaches face for late-game calls. “It comes with the territory. Once you enter the sports arena, no matter what field you’re on, you win, you get cheered, you lose, you get booed,” he said.
We wrote that Bowles needed wins immediately over the next five games, and Pittsburgh started that stretch. A home loss to a team missing three receivers will fuel the conversation from Ybor City to Brandon.
What does a win do for the Bucs in the NFC South?
It keeps them inside. Carolina leads the division at 2-2, Atlanta is 2-3 and the Bucs and Saints are both 1-4. Tampa Bay still has six division games remaining, starting with a trip to Carolina on Oct. 25.
A win would move the Bucs to 2-4 heading into that game, with a chance to close the gap on the Panthers in Charlotte. A loss drops them to 1-5, and the 2027 draft order begins to get more attention than the standings.
Oddsmakers expect a close one, with Pittsburgh favored by 2.5 points. The Bucs are 1-9 against the spread in their last 10 games, though, so they’ll have to prove it. If Irving gives them another physical start, Tampa Bay has a real chance to make the NFC South a race again.
More on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Larry Foote Calls Josiah Trotter ‘Mean,’ Buccaneers Rookie Underestimated Since Camp
- TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith Give Jalon Daniels Reason to Wince in His Third NFL Start
- Bucs’ Top-Two Run Defense Is Why Steelers Win Game Without Baker Mayfield
- Bucs May Part With Jason Licht’s Trade Habits If A 1-4 Record Will Rebuild