The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an electrifying run game that ranks among the best in the league and a suffocating defense that might actually be the best in the league. So why are they 3-6 during their bye week?

The answer is in their passing offense. Tampa Bay's passing offense is last in the league in yards per game (141.9) and yards per pass (5.9). But it goes a lot deeper than that once you dive in to advanced metrics.

This Buccaneers passing offense isn't simply bad — according to success rate, it may be historically bad.

Buccaneers Among Worst Passing Offenses Since 2010 (So Far)

Tampa Bay's is last in the NFL EPA/dropback (-0.297) and 28th in explosive pass rate. But when you take success rate into account, the offense has been dire so far.

Success rate is defined by successful plays. A successful play is typically considered to be 40% or more of the required yards on first down, 60% or more of the required yards on second down and then 100% or more of the required yards on third or fourth down.

Tampa Bay's success rate in the passing game so far this year is a paltry 35.4%. As CBS reporter JP Acosta noted on Twitter, that's only bad, it's the 11th-worst passing offense by success rate since 2010 in Weeks 1-9.

Obviously, there is still time for this to change for Tampa Bay going forward. The list also, interestingly enough, features three other teams from 2026 — the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4, the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 6 and the Minnesota Vikings at No. 17.

That shouldn't distract from the fact that, if this trend continues, the Bucs could be a historically bad passing offense. That falls on everyone involved, from offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to quarterback Baker Mayfield and his largely ineffective receiving corps.

The Bucs don't have a ton of time to turn things around, but they'll have to do their best. Every NFC South team currently has three wins at the moment, so the division is all for the taking — and to take it, Tampa Bay will have to get going through the air.