The Tampa Bay Buccaneers possess one of the best run games in football with Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, with the unit surpassing 100 rushing yards in both games this season.
With Irving as the lead back with 108 yards and White with 79 yards, the pair hasn't hit the blistering form of last year just yet, but the offensive line has been through a major reshuffle due to injuries.
Yet, the run game is still producing with White averaging 6.6 yards per run and Irving 3.5 yards per rush. Granted, that might not seem like a lot, but with the re-jigged offensive line, it does make sense that things aren't as fruitful, at least right away.
But what has made the run game still be able to produce even with backups along the offensive line?
“Going into a game, we always want to establish the run," Irving said. “We know everything starts up front with the O-line. So, just being able to trust them guys every time we get the opportunity to run the ball, just believe in them that they going to open up the holes and we trust our progression, go through our reads and do what we do.”
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It won't be the sole reason, but it is a big chunk, and perhaps what makes the run game so deadly for offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is that both Irving and White are just as lethal as receivers out of the backfield.
Irving has 58 yards and a touchdown already this season, and while White hasn't been used that much as a receiver (just three yards), last season he posted 363 yards and six touchdowns, so he can also be a threat.
With the receiving weapons at Baker Mayfield's disposal, teams can't stack the box to halt the run game, and if they do, Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard, and Co. will be one-on-one looks.
So, it is the definition of pick your poison, and even with a makeshift offensive line, the Buccaneers' run game is still producing good results, with trust being the key factor in their hot start.
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