Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason addition Kenny Gainwell came into the season with a lot of praise around him after a great 2025 campaign in which he broke out for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even being voted as Team MVP. He was seen as such an asset as a rotational running back that Jason Licht made it a priority to sign him in free agency, viewing Gainwell as the potential 1B to Bucky Irving's 1A.
Although Irving is a former 1,200 yard rusher and showed with his dominant display in the Bucs first win of the 2026 season over the Dallas Cowboys that he is one of the elite running backs in the NFL, Gainwell has shown these past two weeks that he is just as capable out of the backfield, and is worthy of a significant role in the offense.
After finally receiving a steady diet of carries in Week 7 when the Buccaneers blew the rival Carolina Panthers out of the water 43-13, turning 14 carries into 88 yards in his first game of the campaign with more than five touches on the ground, Gainwell really outdid himself on a rainy day in Tampa against another rival in the Atlanta Falcons.
Buccaneers have a dynamic 1-2 punch in Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell
On a day where the Buccaneers pulled off an unheard-of feat by winning a game without completing a single pass, the running game trampled Atlanta's defense for a franchise-record 324 yards on the ground. Irving led the way with a career-high 170 yards on 27 carries, but Gainwell had himself a day, too, earning a whopping 24 carries from Zac Robinson's play sheet while turning them into a career-high 140 yards.
It's become clear that even though Irving is the No. 1 back in Tampa Bay and one of the best in the NFL right now, he actually plays even better when the Bucs get into a major rhythm on the ground and split the workload among the running back stable.
The Buccaneers have no choice but to keep doubling down on Gainwell's increased usage. The Buccaneers currently own the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense through eight weeks, and embracing the 1-2 punch of Irving and Gainwell is the reason for that success.
The Buccaneers' winning formula is to establish the run and let the big boys in the trenches pave the way to victory, and it's worked like a charm in all three of Tampa Bay's wins this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google