In Week One against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium, Bucky Irving helped ignite the offense. Irving made an impact in both the rushing and passing game, finishing with 93 yards from scrimmage. Irving matched his career-high with seven receptions and notched 48 receiving yards, 45 rushing yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter, he made a lethal jumpcut and bounced to the outside for the score and averaged 5.6 yards per rush in the clash.
"It is similar things to what I did in college my rookie year just catching the ball out of the backfield and just being more verbal in the pass game and being able to know that I am an outlet for the quarterback whenever he needs me, I am down there for a checkdown," described Irving.
To try and mitigate the Bengals' pass rush, the Bucs primarily operated out of a short passing attack, targeting the flats and the underneath area of the field. Irving became a go-to for Baker Mayfield on checkdowns and he helped move the chains. Despite an injury-marred 2025 season, Irving still ranks 11th in the NFL in missed tackles forced (116) since entering the league in 2024 and owns the third-best missed tackles forced percentage (30.1%) among players with 350-plus rush attempts during that span.
In college, Irving was a two-year starter for the Ducks, serving as the lead back in Oregon's zone-read rushing attack. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing marker in each of his two seasons in Eugene after transferring from Minnesota and showcased reliable hands as a pass catcher. He became a nuisance to try and tackle in the open field off underneath throws with YAC upside. Irving accelerates quickly and has the panoramic vision to identify optimal run lanes. The Bucs rode the hot hand of Irving in Week One and he will look for opportunities against the Browns' 22nd-ranked run defense.
