Buccaneers beat Falcons 16-0 in rain without completing a pass, first team to do so since 1974

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, without completing a pass. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three passes and completed none, while Tampa ran the ball 56 times in a downpour that left standing water on the field. According to the league, Tampa was the first team to win without a completed pass since Buffalo in 1974. Coach Todd Bowles said the conditions dictated the approach, and nearly an inch of rain had fallen by kickoff. Tampa had rushed for 258 yards the previous week against Carolina, in Mayfield's first game back from a thumb injury. The win was Tampa's first home victory of the season after an 0-4 start, and the team set a new club rushing mark of 324 yards.

Left-leaning coverage, from NBC News, leads with the offbeat game plan and a light tone, using the headline 'No, seriously.' It stresses that 56 rushing attempts were the most by an NFL team since 2010, cites one researcher's finding that a double-digit win without a completion last happened in 1945, and features Bowles's comment that there is a first time for everything and Mayfield's happy mood afterward. Alternative coverage splits: Yahoo Sports centers on Mayfield's candid reaction to his zero-for-three day, while ESPN, like the Washington Times, emphasizes Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell's rushing on a wet, sloppy field. Right-leaning coverage, from Fox News and the Washington Times, opens with the historic rarity and the weather. Fox jokes that the team set back the modern offense by decades, highlights the 324-yard club record, and quotes Bowles saying the conditions told the offense what to do, while the Washington Times leads with the win despite no completions. All sides agree on the score, the zero completions and the rain. The left stresses novelty and reaction, while the right stresses the record and the weather-driven framing.