With the 2026 NFL season at the midway point, one of the bigger statistical oddities belongs to the Buccaneers, who are the only team in the league with more rushing yards than passing yards.

Through nine games, the Buccaneers have 1,475 rushing yards and 1,277 passing yards. Every other team has gained more yardage passing than running, and no other team is even close to having more rushing than passing yards.

The last time an NFL team finished a season with more rushing yards than passing yards was 2022, when the Bears finished with an NFL-high 3,014 rushing yards and an NFL-low 2,219 passing yards. That Bears team was led by Justin Fields, who rushed for 1,143 yards himself, but netted just 1,883 passing yards. With running back David Montgomery chipping in 801 rushing yards and Khalil Herbert gaining 731, the Bears were a team that could run effectively but couldn’t pass for anything.

The Buccaneers’ yardage totals come from some fairly unique circumstances. Baker Mayfield has played some of the worst football of his career when healthy, and he was also injured and missed three games, replaced by undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. That has led the Bucs to rely more on their running game. And the weather contributed a huge portion of the Buccaneers’ run-pass yardage differential in Week 8, when the Bucs gained 322 yards rushing and minus-2 yards passing in a downpour against the Falcons.

Despite their one-dimensional offense, the Buccaneers are still playoff contenders, thanks to the NFC South’s status as the worst division in football. It won’t be surprising if there’s a playoff game in Tampa in January. If that happens, Bucs fans may be praying for another downpour.