Here’s something you haven’t heard in a very long time if you’ve followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The offense has one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.

The numbers and the tape don’t lie. Per Next Gen Stats, the Bucs average the eighth-most rushing yards per game (138.3) and they average 5.1 yards per carry, which is fourth-best out of all 32 teams. In terms of advanced stats, their 0.01 EPA per carry is seventh-best, their 43.4% success rate is 10th-best, and their 0.8 rush yards over expected per carry is fifth-best.

Another major stat that stands out is the Bucs currently own the sixth-most carries of 10+ yards at 53. That type of run is considered to be an explosive play and if you follow football, you know just how important explosives are when it comes to not just moving the ball up and down the field, but winning games, as well.

The offensive line is obviously where everything starts, but it doesn’t stop there when it comes to explosive runs. The Bucs need everyone on the same page and following through with their jobs – primarily the wide receivers and tight ends. If those guys aren’t holding up their end of the bargain, then those runs don’t happen. That’s a very underrated factor in everything and there are plenty of teams that don’t have the guys willing to block or even capable of blocking to the extent the Bucs’ players do.

“Schematically, guys are executing in the right way,” Baker Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday. “[The] offensive line is playing unbelievable in some of the schemes that we’re having success on. [The running] backs are hitting the holes where they should be, and then tight ends and receivers are doing their job. You don’t have some of these explosive runs unless guys are blocking down field. That’s the important part is guys being fully bought in to the run game and understanding that it helps us as a whole.”

“The biggest thing for the explosive runs are the tight ends and the [wide] receivers,” Todd Bowles told reporters. “If they don’t do their jobs down the field, those are six-, seven-, eight-yard gains. Those guys do a very good job in the run game. With the addition of the offensive line – I’m not counting them out – they’re the lynchpin of the whole thing. Those guys do a very good job of getting downfield and blocking.”

Per Pro Football Focus, the Bucs are one of just two teams with a combination of five players, be it tight ends or receivers or both, in the top-49 of run blocking grades among players with at least 86 run blocking snaps on the year. The only other team with that combination is the Indianapolis Colts. Trust me, I am fully in the corner that doesn’t put complete stock into PFF’s grades, but it’s still noteworthy, ultimately.

Mike Evans owns the second-highest run blocking grade out of everyone at 79.2. Then, it’s receiver Ryan Miller (65.1), receiver Sterling Shepard (62.8), receiver Chris Godwin (62.7), and then tight end Cade Otton (61.5) rounding out the list.

This should help the Bucs against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. The Chargers allow 4.6 yards per carry, which is tied for the 10th-highest mark and they have allowed 44 runs of 10+ yards, which is 12th-most. They also own one of the lowest stuff rates at 13.2% and their rate of -0.03 EPA/rush attempt is tied for 11th-highest.

“They play really, really hard,” said Mayfield. “Obviously, they have great players. I think Derwin James is playing some of the best ball of his career right now. They’re using him really well and obviously the guys up front – they have some stars up there. I think the secondary as a whole is playing really well, not letting a lot of things behind them. They’re obviously coached well, they fly to the ball, keep things in front of them, fly and play for each other.”

Sure, the defense is a good one when looking at the unit as a whole, but there are certainly cracks to exploit and the Bucs will try and do just that when they head West later in the week.

When people think about the Bucs, it’s easy to think of Mayfield, Evans, and Godwin lighting up the scoreboard, but the running game has been the backbone of the offense, through and through, in 2024. And it’s going to stay that way as long as these guys keep doing what they’re doing.