The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) made up for losing a game to the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) earlier this season, and in doing so were able to take back control of the NFC South Division race with just four games left to play.
In that first matchup, the Buccaneers were only able to gain 73 yards on the ground and were forced to become one-dimensional leading to an easier time on defense for the Falcons.
Things were different this time around, however, and Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles says it happened because his team simply did what the other thought it couldn't.
"They were playing two-high the whole game. They were daring us to run the football, so we got the run going," Bowles said following the win. "We out-gained them in the running department which is very rare because they're an excellent running football team. That helped us out a lot and then once they came down in the end it kind of opened up for us."
Led by running back Rachaad White's 102-yard rushing performance the Bucs ran for a total of 148 while holding Atlanta to 96.
White also contributed an additional 33 yards as a receiver, including 31 on a pass he took to the house for a critical score near the end of the fourth quarter.
It's just the fourth time this season the Falcons' ground game was held under 100 yards in a single game, and just the fifth time they were outrun by an opponent this season.
Believe it or not, Tampa Bay outrushing an opponent is not as rare, and this weekend marked the seventh time this year it's been done with the team winning five of those contests.
What is rare is star receiver Mike Evans being held to just one catch and eight yards all day long. The Buccaneers franchise player has only been held to one or fewer catches nine times now with this weekend being the first ever against Atlanta.
His previous career low against this division rival was three catches for 46 yards back on January 3rd, 2021.
Week 14 is only the fifth time in his career that Evans has been held to less than 10 yards receiving.
"They made sure they were trying to take him out of the game. If you go back to the games he's had, they made it a priority," Bowles said of the Falcons' efforts to take Evans out of the game. "So that allowed us to the run the ball more, it allowed Chris [Godwin] to get involved more, allowed Cade [Otton] to get some plays and Rachaad [White] made some plays. So if they're hell-bent on taking Mike away we gotta make sure we beat them in other areas."
Tampa Bay didn't run away with the win by a long shot, but it came out with it regardless.
In the NFL there are no style points and no committees who decide whether your wins are quality enough or not. Win, and you're in, and right now the Buccaneers hold their ticket to the postseason by way of a third-straight NFC South Division title.
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