Bucky Irving — Week 1: Fifteen Touches, One Costly Fumble
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Irving carried eight times for forty-five yards and a ten-yard touchdown around left end, and caught all seven of his targets for forty-eight more, including a twenty-two-yarder on third and three and an eleven-yarder on third and nine. The one that hurt was third and fourteen at the Tampa Bay twenty-five in the first quarter: a seven-yard catch, stripped by Bryan Cook, recovered by Cincinnati at the thirty-three, and the Bengals went seven plays from there to a touchdown in a 33–27 loss.
When Bucky Irving's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full episode, in writing
Bucky Irving touched the ball 15 times Sunday and 14 of them were fine. The fifteenth was third and 14 at the Tampa Bay 25, five 38 left in the first quarter, Buccaneers down seven to three: a short throw to the right, seven yards to the 32, Bryan Cook on the tackle and the strip, Boye Mafe on the recovery at the 33. Cincinnati went seven plays from there to Mike Gesicki's touchdown and a 14 to three lead. By expected points added — what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — that catch was −2.8, the worst play on his line by that measure.
The rest was a good day's work. Eight carries, 45 yards, five of the eight successful, +3.6 expected points on the ground — runs of nine and nine on the opening drive, and with one 54 left in the half, first and 10 at the Cincinnati 10, Tampa Bay down 21 to three, left end for 10 yards and the touchdown. Seven targets, seven catches, 48 yards. Three of the catches were third downs, and two of them moved the chains: 22 yards on third and three from the Tampa Bay 36 with eight 34 left in the third, pushed out at the Cincinnati 42, and 11 on third and nine from the 40 with 11 24 left in the fourth. His other touches on that fourth-quarter drive were a four-yard catch and runs of eight and five, and the drive ended on Baker Mayfield's sack-fumble.
Seven targets was the most on the team, one more than Emeka Egbuka, and eight carries led a Buccaneers ground game that ran 20 times in all — five each for Mayfield and Kenneth Gainwell, one each for Chris Godwin and Tez Johnson. Two more Irving carries and one target were wiped out by Cincinnati offside penalties. Four of his seven targets came after halftime, when Tampa Bay threw only 11 times.
Back in June the preview called Irving a top-18 rate on the league's worst rushing tape, with a 2025 cut short at 10 games and volume as the piece that repeats. One Sunday in Cincinnati says the volume is there — 15 touches, most on the team in both columns — and says nothing yet about 10 games versus 17. The fumble is the thing the preview did not price, and one fumble is one fumble. Tampa Bay is home to the Browns on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Bucky Irving's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going