The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won three games prior to their bye in the 2026 season, and it's easy to pinpoint one that stands out simply because of its confluence of rare occurrences. The Buccaneers did not complete a pass in their Week Eight 16-0 victory over the Atlanta Falcons but did rush for a franchise-record 324 yards. It was the first time an NFL team had won without completing a pass in 52 years; there are six such occurrences in league history and the other four all happened in 1950 or earlier.
So, no, players, coaches and fans who witnessed that one – especially the ones who sat through an all-day rain at Raymond James Stadium – won't be forgetting it any time soon and it's likely to go down as the most memorable contest of this Buccaneers season.
But what if we got a little more specific and started looking at single plays rather than entire games. What really stood out in the season's first half. That's the very simple premise for our latest Roundtable discussion: Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix, Buccaneers.com Contributor Gabe Kahaian and I are each going to pick what we think was the top play of the season so far. Each of us can decide what that means to us in terms of criteria. Most exciting? Most pivotal? Most important to a single win or the season's trajectory as a whole? Some combination of all that?
Gabe is going to go first followed by Bri and then me. So without further ado, the Buccaneers' top play of 2026 (so far) is…
Gabriel Kahaian: Bucky Irving 72-Yard Run, at Dallas, Week Five
The Buccaneers walked into Jerry's World at 0-4, searching for a way to turn their season around. The second quarter of their schedule opened in prime-time against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels making his second career start at quarterback. Tampa Bay came in as underdogs, but left with its first win of the season. Bucky Irving was a big reason why.
The third-year back torched the Cowboys' defense, piling up 165 rushing yards on 21 carries. The highlight came on the first offensive play of the second half. With Tez Johnson motioning to the right, Irving took the handoff and burst forward between two defenders as the pocket caved around him. He bounced outside to his left, spotted a cutback lane and planted his foot back toward the line of scrimmage. The cut was so sudden that three Cowboys collided with each other trying to bring him down. From there it was off to the races. Irving finally went down at Dallas' 14-yard line after a 72-yard gain, then popped up to celebrate in front of a national audience. The very next play, Emeka Egbuka took a jet sweep to the house, giving the Bucs a lead they would not let go.
Irving found the end zone twice that day and reminded everyone what he is capable of. Looking back, it feels like the spark the offense needed and the start of a run-first identity that has since become the best in the league. Irving now ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (825) and has seven rushing touchdowns, one shy of the career-high he set as a rookie. That run felt like the beginning of something special and with Bucky Irving in the backfield, there will be plenty more memorable moments to come.
Brianna Dix: Josiah Trotter Pick-Six, at Cincinnati, Week One
There are many plays that I could have chosen but this one seemed too pivotal to pass up. Rookie Josiah Trotter's pick-six in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week One brought the Bucs within striking distance. On third-and-five with the ball at the 34, Trotter shifted the momentum at Paycor Stadium to the Bucs' sideline. With the Bucs down 27-13 with 2:48 left in the third frame, Trotter ignited the defense. Pre-snap, the Bucs were aligned in an A-gap pressure look with Alex Anzalone and Trotter lined up at the line of scrimmage. Anzalone served as the blitzer and fired through the interior.
Trotter dropped in coverage and was responsible for the third receiver. He studied Joe Burrow and noticed that the opposing quarterback was looking to the strong side, so he side-shuffled and undercut the route, plucking the ball out of the air before Andrei Iosivas could grab it. Trotter took off towards the end zone, bringing Bucs fans in attendance to their feet with a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown and becoming the first player in league annals with a pick-six and a sack in his NFL debut.
Even more impressively, that same play was repped during practice in the week leading up to the season opener and Trotter made a mistake in that instance. He stayed inside instead of moving wide, resulting in the offense achieving success. During the game under pressure, Trotter trusted his coaching, trusted his technique, made the in-game adjustment and jumped the route. His ability to self-correct proved critical in that moment and Trotter became the spark plug the defense needed on the road.
Scott Smith: Al-Quadin Muhammad Strip-Sack/Calijah Kancey Touchdown, at Carolina, Week Seven
As Gabe noted above, the Buccaneers had been winless before their prime-time victory in Dallas, and that first 'W' could indeed have provided some momentum if the team could make it the start of a streak. And for three quarters the next week it looked like that was exactly what would happen. Tampa Bay took a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh and had a chance to cruise to victory. Instead, virtually everything went wrong from that point on and the Bucs ended up losing in overtime, 26-19.
After that loss, Head Coach Todd Bowles told his 1-5 team that it was still in the hunt in 2026 but that it had effectively removed all margin for error going forward. The next two games on the docket were critical intra-division matchups against the Panthers and Falcons and they were essentially must-win contests for the Buccaneers.
The Bucs answered emphatically to having their backs put against the wall, demolishing the Panthers, 43-13. The rushing attack, of course, would be the main engine for the blowout with 258 yards and three touchdowns, and a takeaway spree that is still ongoing began that afternoon with four forced turnovers. In the end, it was a laugher, but with 11 minutes left in the second quarter it was still just 10-0 and it was starting to feel like the Bucs were not making enough of their offensive opportunities and therefore not pulling out to a comfortable lead.
Outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey changed all that. On second-and-13 from the Carolina 40, outside linebacker Yaya Diaby dropped Panthers quarterback Bryce Young for a loss of one. On the very next snap, Muhammad lined up over right tackle Taylor Moton, with outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. flanking him out wide. Moton initially engaged with both pass rushers, and Muhammad had Moton on his right shoulder and right guard Robert Hunt on his left shoulder. Moton then continued sliding out wide to stay with Bain, and when he did Muhammad immediately broke free from Hunt and closed the gap on Young in 1.2 seconds. Muhammad got to the quarterback so fast that he didn't have a chance to put the ball away, instead losing control of it. The ball took two bounces on the ground before Kancey, already sprinting toward the opposite end zone, scooped it up and dashed 32 yards untouched for his first NFL touchdown. He punctuated the play with a flip over the end zone, landing on his back in what looked like a painful and awkward manner, but that did nothing to diminish the importance of the moment.
From there, the rout in Charlotte was on and the Bucs got their must-win, plus another one the next week against Atlanta. The Buccaneers are not pleased about taking a 3-6 record into their bye week, but they know they are only a half-game out of first in the NFC South and they can still race to the top after their break.
